Welcome to Chaos
by John Prodman
Summary: In a perfect world, Magic Users like Deku do not exist... but this is not a perfect world.
1. Drop in the Chaos

**Warning: Spoilers for Dorohedoro and gore... cause Dorohedoro.**

* * *

_There is a saying that one has three faces._

_The first face, you show to the world._

_The second face, you show to your close friends, and your family._

_The Third face... you never show anyone. __The last is the truest reflection of who you are._

* * *

He stared forward in horror, hands shaking as he stared at the two figures in front of him.

The teen backed away, slowly.

"W-Wha-?"

And then a hole was punched through him, his stomach opening as his innards becoming outards, red liquid splattered across the wall behind him. The teenager fell to the floor, a pool of blood growing beneath him.

His lids fluttered, bloodshot eyes looking around as his body began to die.

He was able to ask one question.

"Why...?"

He was given no answer as he felt the skin of the face tug, something ripping. By this point, the pain nerves had already given out long ago as he felt himself get lifted up by the left arm and thrown, a popping noise heard as he was smashed through the window. Glass pierced his skin, an action figure knocked out alongside him.

And then he fell, lifeless body landing onto the hard ground below.

* * *

"Damn it! Again!?" Shin yelled, eyes quaking behind his heart-shaped mask as he held his carpenter hammer. "Noi, what did I tell you!? Don't hold the bags like that! They'll break!"

Noi looked down at the mess she had made, wearing a blue gimp mask. The contents of the bag had poured out onto the marble floor, showing a bunch of decomposing and severed heads that were leftover from the Crosseye incident. "Oops. Sorry, Senpai. It's just that, these were the only bags left."

The cleaner looked down before looking up at his partner, "You're taking responsibility for that... again."

"Aww, you're so mean, Senpai." Noi said, kneeling down to pick up the pieces before noticing something. "Hey... whose Door is that?"

Shin turned to see where she was looking at. "What-"

Sure enough, there was a Magic User's door, smoke streaming from the edges to show it had been recently summoned. It was a simple wooden door, with a yellow ornament hanging off the top. If there was a name written on it, it had been scribbled beyond recognition. Shin and Noi stared at the door, perplexed. "Did En-sama say that there was a sorcerer operating in this area?"

"No... And he's keeping a close tab on the ones that are left." Shin simply responded, walking forward. Ever since the whole ordeal with Hole and finally blown over, a gigantic portion of the sorcerer population had dropped to a scant few. If there was a Magic User operating outside of En's jurisdiction...

The prospect of a possibly challenging fight made his fingers itch as Shin grinned behind his mask, lips upturning into a sadistic smile.

"Let's see who's on the other side."

Noi came up next to him, cracking her fists. "I like that idea! Let's do it!"

Without another word, the cleaner turned the knob and opened the door, crossing over from The Magic User World. Shin expected a fight.

He did not expect a body.

It was a teen, green hair stained red and filled with glass shards. He wore a teal tracksuit, now stained red with blood as his form lied on a gigantic puddle of splattered blood, with one of his legs twisted at an odd angle and an arm completely gone. As for his face... well, the defining factor was more of a lack of thereof.

"... Who the hell are you?" Shin asked. "D'you open this Door?"

He obviously did not get any response, but he did get an answer, as he spotted faint traces of Smoke, the stuff of sorcerers, coming out of his left stump.

"_This young and he was already able to summon a Door?_" Shin thought before Noi came up beside him.

"Wow. Wonder how that happened?" She then looked up, "Looks as though he fell from a great height." She then pointed, "But not before getting his stomach smashed through and arm ripped off." Noi then noticed, "Oh, and his face is gone too. Doesn't it kind of remind you of how Ebisu started out, Senpai?"

Shin simply shrugged before noticing something being held in the teen's hand.

An action figure.

It was covered with the teenager's blood, depicting a flexing muscular figure, with one of the blonde bangs snapped off. Shin inspected it more closely, able to discern a bright smile on the figures face. He turned his head, finally taking into account of his surroundings.

This wasn't Hole. It couldn't have been. The gigantic apartment block was too functional looking, and there were enough lights to illuminate the streets.

Also, it smelled clean.

So what the hell was this place?

Noi peeked at the Door, the frame beginning to fade. "Er, Senpai. The Door is beginning to dispell. I think he's going to die soon."

He turned to his partner, pocketing the bloodied doll before giving the order. "Heal him. We'll take him back to En's mansion and hopefully get some answers."

She nodded, "You got it!" before kneeling beside the teen's body and clicking the mouthpiece of her mask open. Smoke began to seep through the opening, the teenager's wounds regenerating at a rapid pace, arm regrowing and leg twisting back. By the time she was done, the teen was good as new, not a single sign or scratch on him. She then picked the boy up and held him on her shoulder, walking back through the Door as Shin followed, closing it behind him and leaving the bloody scene.

* * *

"-And where did you find him?" En questioned, rubber gloves and gardening apron on as he squirted moisturizer on his newly regrown mushroom garden.

"That's the thing. I wasn't entirely sure." Shin spoke, Noi standing next to him. They had returned to En's mansion after dropping off the trash bags. "It definitely wasn't the Hole, and it wasn't The Magic User World either."

En paused for a few moments, taking off his apron and turning around. A skeletal red mouth-piece covered his mouth as his browless eyes showed off a menacing glare. "Whatever. He'll tell us as soon as he's awake. And if he refuses to talk,-" En shrugged, "-then I'll have him tortured. Simple."

There was a brief pause before Noi asked a question. "By the way, who's watching him?"

"I sent Fujita." En simply replied, taking off his rubber gloves. "As a precaution, that unknown sorcerer could be dangerous."

"Ah, I see."

* * *

"_Can you see that? He's already saved a hundred people! And it hasn't even been ten minutes!_" _They then heard it, "He's laughing!"_

_The great Hero laughed, carrying loads of rescued in his giant arms. "It's fine now. Why?__ Because I am here!__"_

_And he did it all with a smile._

* * *

He slowly awoke, eyelids opening.

The first sight he was greeted with was that of a skull. He wordlessly flinched back, back bumping into a throne-like chair as he came to realize that it was a person, a person wearing a skull mask with two horns on top.

A few moments passed, as he noticed another figure standing at the end of the room, looking around.

"Y'know, now that I think of it, the guest room is actually much nicer than my own room?" The young man was wearing a mask that resembled a _Tengu_, but only cover his eyes and nose, wearing a t-shirt as well as a Ushanka and cargo shorts. "In fact, even your room is better than mine Ebisu, and you're just an honorary member. What's up with tha-"

The skeleton masked pointed at the boy just as the young man turned around.

She spoke.

"Shit's awake, yo."

"Gah!" The young man yelled before lifting his right arm and using his left to support it, pointing his finger in a threatening manner. "He's awake! Why didn't you warn me, Ebisu!?"

"I just did."

The boy looked between the two of them, confusion writ on his face. He then realized that his arms were tied down by a bundle of wire. He didn't have any time to contemplate his whereabouts, as the door to the room opened, three more figures entering.

The first one was a man wearing a heart-shaped mask, complete with aorta and vena cava openings, wearing a messy business suit with stained with bloody red marks as his hands and arms looking as if they were stitched together. The other was a muscular person wearing a blue gimp mask bearing skeletal mouthpiece as well as a tracksuit, duct tape wrapped around the person's calves and wrists.

As for the last man, he was wearing formal attire and a red mask around his mouth that showed a crimson jawline and teeth, red hair spiked upwards. He walked with a narcissistic elegance, demanding order.

"En-sama!" The young man yelled, abandoning his combat position.

"Fujita." The red-haired man asked. "Has our guest awoken yet?"

The young man wearing the Ushanka, now identified to be Fujita, spoke up. "Er, yep. He's awake, En-sama."

"Good." En turned, facing the chairbound boy. "You are either a brave or foolish, operating behind my back... so we'll keep this meeting short and simple. Where was it that you were, and who are you working with?"

A few moments passed.

The boy finally spoke, stuttering as if finally refinding his voice.

"I-I-"

The bomb dropped.

"I don't remember."

"Right." En then leaned back, sighing behind his mask. "Then it looks like we're proceeding with the next step." He then paused, "Wait..." And then turned around, "Is the torturer still alive?"

Everybody there seemed to rack their brains, Fujita scratching the back of his head, "Um, no. Sorry, En-sama, but I think he died because of the Rain. Quite a while back actually..."

"Whatever, he sucked at his job!" Ebisu added.

"Oh." En then turned to the gimp mask. "Then you do it Noi."

The person seemed insulted, a feminine voice speaking out. "What? Me? Torture? What do I look like to you? A maid?" Noi then shrugged, cracking knuckles. "I mean, I guess I could try it. But you know I prefer it when they can fight back."

"Yes, yes." En dismissed.

The boy leaned back in his seat, eyes wide as Noi moved closer.

And then the heart mask spoke.

"Wait."

The man stepped forward, exposed eyes showing off a calculating look.

"Let me ask him something."

Noi obliged, walking to the side. "Oh, alright, Senpai."

En seemed annoyed. "Really Shin? What makes you think he'll answer you if he didn't answer me?"

"Because he might not know who you even are. Or where he even is." Shin replied, producing something from his pocket. It was an action figure, depicting a super-hero looking figure. "Is this yours?" The man asked, the boy staring at it.

"I'm not sure... but I think I recognize it."

"What's your name?" The man then asked.

The boy hung his head down, trying to find the answer. After a few seconds, a word finally came up."My name...-"

He then looked up.

"I think my name is Deku. But that's all I can really remember."

There was a brief pause.

And then Ebisu broke out into laughter, the mouth on her skeleton mask opening. "Gwahahaha! Deku!? What type of stupid name is that?!" Ebisu continued to laugh, Fujita attempting to shush her. She finally stopped, Shin turning to face En.

"He seems to barely remember anything. En, this boy... he has amnesia."

"Ugh." En massaged his forehead with his hand. "How annoying, but you might be right." He then waved his hand, "Alright then. I guess there's no point in this. Untie him."

Noi obliged, untying the wire and setting Deku free. He rubbed his wrist as he slowly stood up from the chair, looking amongst the group of personalities. By this point, thousands of questions were swimming in Deku's head, with one of them forcing him to ask impulsively. "W-What is this place?"

Shin responded, standing next to Noi as En idly looked away. "You're in En-sama's mansion, in The Magic User World."

"The Magic User World?" Deku asked.

"Yeah. Can you recall what happened to you?"

Deku scratched the back of his head, scrunching his eyes. "No... I really can't."

Noi chipped in, "We found you in a pretty bad condition." Noi then began to list, "Your left arm was torn off, your stomach had been brutally punched in by someone, and on top of that, your face was gone." Noi then seemed to remember another detail, "Oh, and it looked like you were tossed out a window too, a very high window. None of that ring any bells?"

He shook his head, albeit slowly as he took it all in. All of that had happened to him? Just how was he even alive?

"Well, I'm stumped." Noi huffed, Deku perking up.

"But... if I was like that, then..." For some odd reason, a sadness took hold, Deku looking down. "Why did you even bother helping me?"

"Because you're a Sorcerer like us, you were a potential threat to me."

The answer didn't come from Shin, or Noi, or even Fujita and Ebisu.

It came from En, the red-haired man giving off an imposing visage. "You were able to open your own Door from a non-fixed location, that already shows you have a high quantity of Smoke circulating through your veins."

Although Deku didn't understand what he meant by a 'Door' and 'Smoke', he did manage to pick up that these aforementioned terms were supposed to be abilities of some sort.

En shrugged, "Anyways, I suppose that means we're done here. He's clearly not in the right state of mind, but with so few sorcerers left, I'll take what I can get." He then began to leave the room, pointing toward the young man on the way out. "Fujita, give Deku a brief tour of the place, and since he's also lost his memory, give him a refresher on how to use his Smoke. I'm going to go take a bath."

Fujita stood to attention, just as En left the room. "Yes, En-sama!" Fujita then turned to Deku, "Alright, come with me, Deku. I'll show you around the place."

"Yeah, c'mon stupid name." Ebisu added.

Deku was about to follow the two before Shin stopped him, handing the action figure to him. "By the way, I think this is yours. You were holding it when we found you."

The boy nervously nodded before bowing his head as if on instinct, "Thank you..."

He then silently left.

As soon as the room was empty, Shin sighed, taking off his mask and running a tired hand down his face. "Damn, I could really use a nap right now." He felt a hand slink on his shoulder, Shin turning to see a smiling Noi, her mask off now off as well.

"Then let's go get some sleep."

Shin smiled, "That, I can agree with." The two of them leaving the empty room behind.

* * *

"Um, uh..." Fujita looked around the renovated corridor, a hand on his chin. "Was it...? Or, maybe it was this way...-?"

Deku silently stood next to Ebisu, the two of them staring at Fujita. The latter then spoke up, "You got us lost, idiot."

Fujita seemed to lower his head in embarrassment, "Gah... cut me some slack Ebisu. En-sama's mansion is really big, and I haven't been back since forever."

"Idiot." Ebisu simply responded.

Deku simply watched the two argue, his thoughts beginning to wander regarding his situation. Just what did he forget? He had a vague sense of displacement, a simple knowing that he had left something behind. But what? Deku would have pondered further, but he noticed that Ebisu and Fujita were staring at him.

Ebisu then pointed, "You were saying some weird shit."

Deku blinked, "Was I?"

"Er, yeah." Fujita confirmed, "You were muttering a lot."

He blinked again, question whether or not there was something wrong with him. And he didn't even have a second to think of it, as Ebisu hugged him, Deku's eyes widening as his face turned red.

"This is great! Do you know what this means!?"

She then pulled back, skull mask staring at Deku.

"We're brain damage palls!"

"... What?" Deku asked, Fujita scratching the back of his head.

"Ebisu's died a bunch of times, and on top of that, she has a positivism hair clip in her brain." Fujita paused, "It's a long story."

Although he had no idea what a 'positivism hair clip' was, Deku definitely understood the 'died a bunch of times'. For some reason, he felt he should've been more shocked at the mention of her multiple deaths, but in all honesty, he felt sorry... and a tad bit curious. Such a thing sounded awful, but just how was she alive then? Perhaps another question that could be answered, he was just glad that he got to know Ebisu a bit better.

Deku then turned to Fujita. "What about you, Fujita-san? What's your story?"

"Hm? Me?" Fujita then scratched the back of his head, his Ushanka lifting slightly. "Er, nobody's ever asked me that before. What can I even say? I'm just-"

"He's the errand boy around here." Ebisu cut in, Fujita's face turning red.

"Ebisu-!" He then sighed, a defeated look on his face. "Yeah, I guess I'm kinda am, despite after all that's happened..."

"All that's happened?" Deku asked, tilting his head, "What has happened?"

Fujita and Ebisu turned to him, the former speaking up. "Wow, you really have lost all your memory. But then again..." Fujita shrugged, "I overheard Shin and Noi saying they found you in some weird place that wasn't The Magic User World, so maybe you didn't even know beforehand?"

Deku's eyes lit up, "Then do you think I can ask them? Ask them where I came from?"

The young man shrugged again, the group walking on. "I guess. But I would do it when they're-"

Fujita then paused, Deku turning to where Fujita was staring as a shirtless muscular man wearing a black bird mask and armored leggings rounded the corner. Fujita smiled, "Oh, hey! It's Chota-san! He probably knows the direction around here. Chota-san!" Fujita called out. Chota seemed to notice them walking toward them to meet up.

"My, my! What are you two doing here?" Chota then pointed at Deku. "And who's this?"

"This is Deku. Shin and Noi picked him up from somewhere. He can't remember anything." Fujita explained.

Deku instinctively bowed his head, looking back up. "Please take care of me."

"My, quite well mannered. Welcome to the En family, Deku-kun." Chota commented before leaning closer to the trio. "By the way, have you three seen En? I wanted to speak to him."

"I think he said he was gonna go take a bath-" Deku absent-mindedly answered before Fujita put a hand on his mouth. It was there Deku realized he had made a mistake, as Chota seemed to drool behind his mask.

"E-En, in the bath!?" He then made a shrill yeep, "Then maybe I can sneak away some of his bathwater this time!" Chota ran past the trio, arms outstretched. "I'm coming En!"

There was a long pause, seconds passing before Ebisu finally spoke up. "That's nasty."

Deku was liable to agree, admittedly unsure whether or not he should apologize as Fujita sighed. "Oh jeez, En-sama's gonna be in a really bad mood later."

A new voice then spoke out.

"He won't be,-"

And then a figure simply popped out of thin air, mask consisting of wrap-around cloth and outfit being a collared shirt as an aura of Smoke dissipated around him. A magic wand held in his wrapped hands.

"-'cause I just erased Chota's memory. You can thank me later."

There was a long pause, Fujita seemingly struggling to remember the man's name before finally recalling. "Ah, Shou-san!" He then turned to Deku, "This is-"

"Deku. I know already, I've been following you three since you left the guest room." Shou explained, Fujita staring at the wrapped man with a hint of disbelief.

"Then why didn't you help us before?"

Shou shrugged, "Because it was entertaining, watching you three get lost." He then looked at Deku, an inquisitive look on the boy's face. "So, how are you holding up, Deku? It looks like you wanna ask something."

"Yes... Shou-san." Deku admitted, now familiar with the man's name. "Just now, when you suddenly just appeared... was that magic?"

The wrapped man nodded, "Yep." As if to show off, Shou lifted his arm, black Smoke engulfing it. Suddenly it was gone, Shou straining his shoulder to indicate that he was moving said arm. "As long as you got a Devil's tumor, then you got magic. Everyone has a different type. Mine is Invisibility magic-" Shou twirled his wand, "-and memory erase you saw back there."

Deku turned his head to Fujita, the young man holding a finger up as wisps of Smoke sprouted from the tip. "And mine's destruction." He then hung his head down, "But it's pretty weak. I don't have a lot of Smoke capacity."

"_So Sorcerers have different types of magic, and the strength of their magic is determined by their level of Smoke?_" Deku noted. "_And you also need to be in possession of some kind of tumor?_ _Why does this seem familiar but so... distant?_"

"You're muttering again." Fujita pointed out, Deku blinking.

"And mine is reptile!" Ebisu yelled before her form seemed to shift into giant scaly monster, head comprised of a reptilian skull. Her maw then opened, throaty laughter echoing through the hallway. "**UWAHAHAHA!**"

Deku flinched, but it was more from surprise than fear. In all honesty... he was beginning to feel amazed. Sure, there were questions, but he could do something like this?! Immediately, Deku felt a sense of familiarity resurge.

A sense of awe and fascination.

"A-All of your powers... t-" He stuttered, "They're all so cool!"

Fujita smiled at that statement, Ebisu turning back as Deku shifted his gaze between the trio.

"W-What's mine?!"

Shou shrugged, "Only one way to find out."

* * *

En sat down, reading an old magazine whilst sitting next to the window of his bedroom as he calmly nestled a cup of mushroom tea, Kikurage nestled in his arm as one of his mushroom familiars redid his drooping hair.

He turned a page before looking up at the window. To call his 'mansion' a mansion was a bit misleading, as it was more of a gigantic structural amalgam, capable of storing a large city inside itself. But ever since the Rain incident, the place was a practical ghost town with so few Sorcerers left.

So he knew it was a rare occurrence to see people on the other end of it, En honing his gaze to realize that it was his subordinates, and the newly introduced Magic User, Deku.

He took a sip of his tea, an annoyed look on his face. "What in the world are they up to?"

* * *

"Have you tried opening your mouth?" Fujita shouted from the end of the hallway.

Deku nodded, a concentrated look on his face as he thrust both hands forward, expecting to see the digits emit Smoke. Yet he was met with disappointment. Shou called out, "How about try unclenching your buttocks! It's rare but I heard some Sorcerers-!"

"Think of killing someone!" Ebisu roared.

He shook his head, abandoning his stature. "I don't think this is working..."

The three looked at each other before abandoning the safety of distance, walking up to Deku. "Alright, well, we do know for a fact that you're capable. You did open a Door after all." Shou said supportively, "So I'm sure you'll rediscover it in time."

Deku remained silent, nodding before he felt his stomach growl. There was an awkward pause, before Fujita spoke.

"Um, uh... You wanna get something to eat?"

He nodded again.

Shou then gestured a thumb back, "The dining hall is this way." They then left without another word, leaving the hallway behind. However, unbeknownst to them all, a small figure had been accidentally left behind, having fallen out of Deku's back pocket after flinching.

It was the action figure.

A few seconds passed after they were gone, complete silence.

And then it stood up.

* * *

The group arrived at the dining hall, the tables being set up by...

Gigantic humanoid mushroom people.

Deku stared at the beings with shock, realizing that the faces beneath broad caps were similar to En's mask. He paused for a moment as Fujita turned around. "That's just En's mushroom magic." Fujita then turned back, a hint of adoration in his voice. "He can do a ton of things with it, and that's why he's the most powerful sorcerer of us all."

"... Woah..." Deku whispered, sitting down as Fujita and Ebisu sat beside him.

Shou had disappeared off somewhere. Apparently, the invisible caster ate alone, Chota too (but it was highly likely that En didn't permit the obsessive sorcerer to sit at the table).

Two more figures entered the room, Deku recognizing their outfits as Shin and Noi but without their masks, which also lead to another startling conclusion.

Noi was a woman.

He supposed that made sense, judging by the pitch of Noi's voice from before. However, more of his focus was surprisingly on Shin, the formerly heart masked man now wearing a pair of glasses and sporting a relatively young face, a complete contrast from his intimidating mask. Shin sat across from him, looking forward at Deku.

"How are you holding up?"

Deku didn't expect the question, but he did answer. "I'm fine... Fujita-sama and the others were trying to teach me how to use Smoke."

"Hm." Shin nodded in understanding, "It was hard for me the first time too. I had to cut off my arms in order to unblock my Smoke veins."

"... Oh." Deku responded, now knowing why Shin's fingers and arms looked stitched together.

Because they were.

Shin then shrugged, "But I guess you're not that much different from me. Your left arm was torn off, and that's probably what opened your Smoke vein."

Smoke vein, another factor to magic production that Deku quickly surmised. "T-Then can I ask something, Shin-san?"

The man nodded, Deku continuing.

"Where did you and Noi-san find me?"

Shin opened his mouth only for Noi to answer first, leaning forward against the table with her head turned to Deku. "No clue! That's what we were hoping to find out through you."

The man nodded in agreement, "And since you were near death, we had to leave before your Door dispelled. All we know for sure was that it wasn't Hole."

"Hole?" Deku asked.

Shin nodded, "Another world..." Shin then grunted, "It's a shithole, but it's where I'm from."

"And we have good friends there too!" Noi added.

Deku looked down, thoughts troubled now that his only possible link to knowing was severed. If anything, the response only provided more questions. Just who was he? Where did he come from? Why was he found at near-death? And more pressing, who was responsible for leaving him in such a state?

At this point, he just really wanted to know.

He was broken from his thoughts as a bell rang, indicating that dinner had begun. One of En's mushroom familiars bought out a tray full of food, alongside a person... wearing a roasted turkey on their head.

"Dinner is served!" The person then looked around, "Hey, where's En?"

Shin shrugged, Noi crossing her arms. "Can't we just start without him, Turkey?"

Fujita spoke up, "Er, I don't think we should do that. En-sama wasn't very happy last time."

She shook her head, "I don't give a shit about what my cousin thinks."

"Yeah, don't care what the boss thinks!" Ebisu agreed, banging her fork and knife against the table and scaring Fujita as she yelled out in english. "**_I'm hangry_**!"

Shin sighed, as Deku simply sat there, an awkward look on his face as he stared forward. Thankfully, the situation defused as En arrived, holding what appeared to be a... masked pink furred cat.

"Settle down. I am here."

Deku paused, for some odd reason the phrase sparked a sense of deja vu as he put the cat down, allowing it to roam off on its own.

En sat down, "What will be for dinner, Turkey?"

"Pork loin roast with mixed vegetables and fine gravy."

"Ooooh." Noi turned her head to Shin, "That sounds pretty good, right Senpai?"

Shin nodded as the meals were served by En's mushroom servants. A plate was passed to Deku as he looked down at his meal, the delicious scent serving to remind him of how ravenously hungry he was. He looked around to see everyone else eating, so with a shrug, he dug in. The food was beyond delicious, the roasted pork is a fine texture and the vegetables soft but flavorful with the juices. It was a meal from heaven. He diligently cut off another piece of pork before feeling something brush against his leg.

He looked below, the pink furred cat now beneath the table and looking up at him with its scribbly eyes.

"Nyah, nyah?" It meowed, tilting its head as a long forked tongue slithered from its mouth. A pointed tail, almost like that of devils, lazily drifted behind it. Deku stared at the creature, Fujita taking notice as well.

"That's Kikurage. She's En's pet and kind of our mascot I guess."

Ebisu turned her head, mask off to expose her purple hair and young face. "But I thought I was the mascot!"

"Honorary member." Fujita responded, "It's not the same thing, Ebisu."

Deku stared at Kikurage, "I think she wants some food. Is it okay to-?"

"Yeah, go ahead." Fujita motioned, "She loves table scraps. In fact,-" Fujita leaned closely to whisper, "I think she much rather prefers it over the stuff En gives her."

"Boss gives her mushrooms." Ebisu whispered before giving off a fake gag.

Deku nodded, tearing off a piece of pork and feeding it to Kikurage. Kikurage meowed in delight, devouring the pork in an instant. He hesitantly reached out and ran a hand atop the creature's mask, patting her irresistibly fluffy ears as Kikurage mewled. "Wow, she really likes you." Fujita continued eating, "That's good. It might come in handy for you."

He turned his head to Fujita, "Huh, why?"

"Cause Kikurage has revival magic." Fujita explained, "And she only uses it on people she likes."

"Revival magic? Y-You mean she can-"

"Bring back the dead, bitch!" Ebisu answered at Deku before picking up Kikurage and rubbing her face against the creature's back. "Yourz so fluffy Kikurage!"

Kikurage seemed to not mind the treatment, idly staring upward as Deku silently watched. At least that now answered his question on how she cheated death in the past...

His attention was then turned away, hearing a clinking sound. Shin had lowered his plate, not a single scrap of food left atop it.

"Done."

Deku's eyes widened, realizing he hadn't even finished halfway through his own meal. Noi spoke up as if sensing his discontent, "Oh, don't worry. Take your time to eat. Shin-senpai just eats really fast."

Shin nodded, licking his stitched fingers. "An important skill you pick up from Hole-"

"Deku."

The teen turned his head, realizing En was demanding his attention, the red-haired man calmly sitting at the head of the table.

"Have you rediscovered your magic yet?"

Deku paused, looking up from his food. "N-No... Sorry, En-sama."

"Save your apologies. I'm not the one who needs to progress." En spoke in apathetic fashion before turning to Shin and Noi, "I want you two to show him to his room after he's done with his food."

"Yes, En-sama." Shin and Noi droned in boredom, Deku lowering his head.

* * *

Deku looked at the window as he walked along a masked Shin and Noi. If his thoughts were a troubled stream before, now they were a whirlpool of (dis)stress.

His mind was wrenching, pulling at itself in hopeless attempts to recall.

Often, three questions were what Deku began to ask himself.

Where did I come from?

Who hurt me?

And what should I do now?

None of which he had answers to. And to top it all of, the odd sense of deja vu occasionally floated to the surface, only to disappear as if taunting him. He walked forward a few paces, hand trembling.

And then he came to a halt, scrunching up as he hugged his knees against his chest.

Shin and Noi stopped, surprise in their eyes. "Eh? Deku? What's wrong?" The latter asked.

They both then heard it.

Quiet sobbing.

"I-I-" Deku's voice was muffled before he looked up, red puffy eyes peeking out from atop his kneecaps. "I don't know. I-I just... feel really bad that I don't remember anything... just what have I forgotten-" He stopped, "_And who __am I?"_

Noi and Shin looked at each other before looking back at Deku, both of them sitting on a respective side and leaving Deku between them. They then took off their masks, a few moments passing before Shin finally spoke. "... You're overthinking things."

Deku blinked, a few stray tears leaving his eyes.

"Close your eyes for a moment." Shin ordered, Deku obliging as he closed them. "Now I want you to take a deep breath." Deku breathed in, "And then release it." He did so, feeling the compressed air leave his lungs.

Shin stared at the wall in front of them, facing away from Deku.

"I'll be honest with you, I have no idea how you're going to regain your memory. For all I know, it's probably lost forever." Deku reacted to those words, slowly hanging his head down.

Noi chipped in, nudging him in the shoulder. "But in the meantime, you've got us!" Noi continued, "Why not think about what you want to do now rather than worrying about what you did before?"

Deku paused for a moment, thinking. "I really do want to know what my magic is..."

"That's the spirit!"

He paused again, "Wait..." Deku then felt his back pocket, "It's gone!"

"The action figure?" Shin guessed.

Deku nodded, Shin slowly standing up and refitting his mask. "Then Noi and I will go find it. You go get some sleep."

"Really? But-"

"No buts! Leave it to us!" Noi commanded as she stood up, putting her mask back on. "You had a long day today, Deku-kun." She then pointed, "Just go to the end of the hallway and turn right. The first door you see will be your room."

Shin walked off, Noi turning away to follow him. Deku watched them walk down the hallway before calling out. "Shin-san, Noi-san! I'm sorry for causing you trouble..." He then lifted his head, "I'm sorry for being useless!"

The man turned his head ever so slightly, eyes peeking from behind his heart mask. "Whoever said you were?"

And with that, they turned the corner and left, leaving Deku on his own. He stood there for a few moments, hands clasped closely together.

For some odd reason, that simple rhetorical question alone made Deku feel a lot better about himself as he yawned, realizing his drowsiness. "_I guess I should do what Noi wanted me to do and get some sleep... I'm gonna need it._"

He then turned around, following Noi's directions. He turned the corner, spotting his door.

And spotting the action figure he had lost.

Walking toward him.

He froze up, it's little legs steadily clacking against the ground. It then stopped, looking up at Deku as Deku stared back down at it, his eyes wide. "W-Wha-?" Deku paused again, before giving a nervous wave. "Er... Hello?"

It waved back, responding to the friendly gesture.

So many questions were bubbling inside his head at this point. Was this... his magic? However, his priorities came first, realizing now there was no reason for Shin and Noi to search for the action figure now that it had found him. Turning around, he ran back the way he came.

"Noi! Shin! I found my-"

Only to be greeted with the sight of a hooded figure climbing through the window, marble mask adorned on their face.

"What, who are-?" Deku asked, only serving to alert the figure of his presence as they raised a hand, a wave of Smoke shooting out from the figure's palm and passing his leg. Deku suddenly felt unbalanced, falling to the side. He blinked, a stinging sensation traveling up his shin. He turned to see his shoe on the ground...

And an ankle sticking out of it.

His foot had been separated from his leg, a pool of blood growing from the stump where it used to be. By this point, Deku was too shocked to have even comprehended what had happened, nerves undecided on whether it was info or pain it wished to pass.

It decided on pain first.

Deku didn't even scream, it was more of a seething yell, his teeth gnashing together as his two hands clasped around his knee in some hopeless attempt to relinquish the indescribable agony, but to no avail.

Finally, info.

"_My foot!_" Deku could feel tears well up in his lids, "_MY FOOT!_" That sheer shock was like a gut punch to the brain, that sudden realization of now lacking a body part as the unknown sorcerer walked forward, speaking out.

"Huh, it's odd actually. I cut off your foot, and you don't even bother to use a counter-attack? Is it possible that-?" The hostile sorceress reached out, hand clasping around Deku's neck as she lifted him up with ease. "That you actually can't use Smoke?"

Tears were now trawling down his face, tears of pain as he was inflicted with the inability to respond.

"What's wrong, Kid?" She then shook him violently, "Devil got your tongue?"

He gulped down a strained breath, "W-Why-?"

"Why? Hmm, where should I begin?" She then shrugged, "I dunno. I guess now that 99% of the sorcerer population is dead, it's the perfect time to kill En and take over." She then raised her other hand, pointing it at Deku. "And since you're one of his lackeys, I guess I'll be starting with you-"

A clack was heard.

They both looked down, the action figure launching punch after punch against her boot. A few seconds pausing, the sorceress looking back up. "Wait... don't tell me... That's your magic!? You can control a little doll?!"

She then began to laugh, kicking the action figure to the side. It skidded across the floor, bumping against the wall.

"You're useless!"

Deku became silent, blinking as his pain was temporarily forgotten. "I-I'm not-"

"Yes, you are! Never in my entire life have I seen such useless magic! Why the hell would En even hire you?!"

"I-"

"Absolutely useless!"

Something awoke inside of him, causing his arms to quiver, his head rapidly beginning to pound with a fit of unknown anger. He knew she had only said 'useless' it three times.

Then why did it feel as if he had been called that his entire life?

"Oh well." The sorceress seemed bored, "I guess I'll kill you and be on my way. Any last words?"

Deku mumbled something, the action figure stirring as it sat up, unbeknownst to the sorceress.

"What? Sorry? I didn't hear that?"

He looked up, eyes unfocused and filled with adrenaline. "I'm not-"

The action figure jumped into his grasping hand, Deku closing his fingers around its legs to hold it like a weapon as the sorcerer only just realized what was going on. Deku spoke the next word with gritted teeth.

"-USELESS!"

He swung with all his might, the action figure flexing to form the shape of an improvised mace as he slammed it against her cheek. Deku saw the bottom half of her marble mask get smashed into bits, blood and teeth shooting from her mouth as her jaw made a breaking sound. Her head whipped to the left as she let out an ugly sputter, letting go of Deku as he fell to the floor. She stumbled away, finding support against a wall with her head turned away.

"_H-How did I-?_"

She turned around, Deku's eyes widening at the fact that her jaw was hanging open like a suspended cradle. She spoke, or perhaps more accurately, gurgled something before raising her hand.

Deku didn't have to understand her noises to know that she was preparing a retaliation, Smoke building up in her palm.

And then the strangest thing happened.

While clutching the action figure close, Deku began to see differently. The broken jaw was outlined like an x-ray chart before his very eyes. He could see how her right ramus suffered from a comminuted fracture, and as if on instinct, Deku held his hand out. Yet they did not produce Smoke, rather, Smoke gathered from nowhere around the broken area, forming a miniature cloud and engulfing her jaw as her eyes widened.

He swung his arm up, an invisible force pushing her upward by the jaw. She barely had any time to scream in both pain and surprise before the top of her head met against the metal ceiling... hard.

Deku lowered his hand, a splotch of blood and hair leftover before he did it again.

And again.

And again.

Finally, he relinquished, lowering his hand, her body falling to the floor. Deku looked up at the ceiling, red blood dripping down. The top of her head was caved like a crushed can, Deku clearly seeing that the skull was fractured, and how those bits of parietal and coronal bone were now embedded inside her brain.

And with that in mind.

Deku threw his head to the side and puked before flopping down, landing face-first into the puddle of his own vomit. He idly hoped that the reason was due to shock and not blood loss.

* * *

**What we learned from the first chapter:**

**1\. Deku is a Magic User.**

**2\. En like's mushrooms (a lot).**

**3\. Deku hate's being called useless.**

**And what you will learn from the second chapter... That's still a mystery.**

**That is... Welcome to Chaos!**

* * *

**Okay, so I bet a lot of you who haven't read Dorohedoro or watched it are wondering... just what the fuck did you just read? To tell you the truth, I'm having trouble discerning what I just wrote...**

**...**

**I don't really know what else to write except how much I love the characters in Dorohedoro, especially everyone in the En Family. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter so far.**

**And with that, I'm out. Hopefully I spotted all the spelling mistakes.**


	2. Mask Making and Meat Pies!

**MAJOR SPOILERS IN THIS CHAPTER FOR DOROHEDORO, THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING.**

* * *

"Deku..." A moment passed, "Deku, c'mon. It's time to wake up."

He let out a groan, eyes struggled to open as he reclaimed consciousness. "Mmph..." He was graced at the sight of Noi's menacing gimp mask, her gigantic figure kneeling beside him. "N-Noi?"

"Yep!" Noi tilted her head, "How are you feeling?"

Deku slowly sat up, "F-Fine..." Deku then sniffed, something rancid in the air. "What's that smell?"

"You." Noi simply answered, Deku flinching in realization. "When Shou found you, you were lying face first in a puddle of your own blood and vomit." Noi then seemed to gag behind her mask, "I gotta admit, that had to be the nastiest thing I've ever seen. And I've seen a lot of nasty things."

He looked down, face red with embarrassment before realizing something. "T-Then all of that was real... I-I killed someone..."

Noi nodded, "Yeah. Brutally too." A moment passed, "So, you want me to help you up?"

"... Okay."

The muscular woman grasped onto Deku's hand, pulling him back up onto his two feet.

Wait... two feet.

Deku looked down, realizing that his foot was back, albeit lacking a shoe. "M-My foot! It's back!"

"Yep. I used my healing magic on you. It's pretty strong." Noi answered. Deku blinked, about to ask more about her magic before briefly noticed one of En's mushroom familiars a few meters ahead, standing atop a ladder and scrubbing the ceiling.

Deku was silent, his trauma returning as Noi continued. "You might wanna take a quick shower and change. En wants you to go see him."

"Huh?" Deku asked, "W-Why?"

Noi shrugged, "Beats me. If I had a guess, it probably has something to do with the intruder you put down. But you better hurry though, my cousin can be super impatient sometimes."

Deku paused before nodding. He was about to walk off to his allocated room before remembering something. "Ah, wait! My action figure!" He then frantically looked around, "Where is it? I-I had it on me before I passed out!"

"You did?" Noi asked, "I didn't see it on you, and neither did Sho-"

They heard a clack.

Sure enough, the action figure was next to Deku's leg, looking up at him. "Woah, it can move?!" Noi exclaimed.

"Y-Yeah." Deku admitted, kneeling down to pick him up. "It found me yesterday. I-I was just about to tell you and Shin-san but..." Deku shook his head, trying to forget the incident.

"Oh, so then wait, hold on..." Noi tilted her head before pointing down at the small construct and gesturing to the bloody ceiling, pausing for a moment. "Was he the one that did all that...?"

"..." Deku paused, "No. I did."

Noi nodded in understanding, "Yeah, that makes a bit more sense."

* * *

Deku clambered out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist. He regarded himself in the mirror for a brief moment, flexing his arm.

"_Was I always this muscular? I must have been working out before I lost my memory..._"

He turned toward the sink, the tap on as the action figure cleaned the blood off itself. Deku looked at it for a few moments, the figure clambering out from the rim and turning off the tap before staring at him.

"Er..." He then picked it up, the action figure staring at him. "... Do you have a name?"

It seemed to pause before gesturing toward its back, Deku turning it around to spot a tiny albeit readable inscription.

'-LL MIGHT.'

Whatever had come before the two L's had been scraped off, and due to his amnesia, he was none the wiser on what it could've been. Deku paused for a moment before deciding. "How about I call you 'Small Might'?"

The action figure seemed to like that name, giving a thumbs-up.

"Alright, Small Might it is." He then put it back down, Small Might jumping off the sink as Deku left the bathroom.

His room that was provided by En was pretty bare-bones as of now but serviceable. A few shelves for storage and a simple bed with a blanket and pillow. He passed his dirty tracksuit, spotting a shirt and pants left atop a drawer, as well as a pair of boxers. Deku picked up the two clothing articles, inspecting them.

The first was a black t-shirt, badly translated English words on the front of it that spelled, 'BEWARE OF DUDE!'. The trousers, on the other hand, were a pair of light green cargo pants. Deku quickly slid on the boxers before putting on the shirt and pants. Although it was an odd combination, it felt comfy.

He turned to the doorway, a pair of red sneakers and white socks left behind for him to wear. He quickly put them on, tightening the laces and opening the door.

Refreshed and ready to go, the sense of relief almost making him forget the atrocity he had committed.

Almost...

Noi was waiting for him, turning her head as he closed the door behind him, Small Might following him.

"Do those clothes fit?" She asked.

Deku nodded.

"Oh, good. I was afraid they wouldn't since we picked them off a few dead sorcerers."

He froze up. "W-What?"

"Not important." Noi responded, "Let's get going."

Deku reluctantly followed, feeling a lot more... unclean all of the sudden.

* * *

Noi and Deku finally entered an ornate room after walking past a few hallways, Small Might now sitting on Deku's shoulder after the latter had decided that the action figure was having a hard time catching up.

And it seemed like almost everyone was here.

Fujita and Ebisu were sitting on a nearby couch, watching some bizarre TV show depicting a horned devil flying around and zapping people. Chota sat close to En, filing his nails with his armored leggings crossed over one another as En read from a newspaper, an annoyed look on the bosses face.

And Shou was nowhere to be seen.

En looked up from his newspaper, closing it. "Hm, took you long enough." He then spotted Small Might sitting on Deku's shoulder, "I assume that living doll has something to do with your magic?"

Fujita perked up from the couch, "Wha-?" He too spotted Small Might, now engaged in the conversation as well, Ebisu still watching the show.

Deku paused, turning to look at En. "Um... I-I'm not sure."

The boss raised an eye. "Not sure? You seemed to know well enough to kill the intruder last night."

As if on cue, the door behind him and Noi reopened, revealing Shin as the man patted his hands. "The body's been disposed of."

Shin then walked past Deku, pulling out a chair and sitting next to Chota. Even Ebisu had stopped watching the show, all eyes now on him. He looked down, fist softly clenched as he gulped, mustering the courage to speak. "I-I meant as in, I-I'm not sure how I was able to do it. All I know was that she... cut off my foot, and she was ready to k-kill me until Small Might showed up." Deku grimaced, eyes peering at the action figure on his shoulder. "I used him as a club to break her jaw."

"That explains the broken jaw." Noi commented, "But that still doesn't explain how you managed to smash her skull against the ceiling."

Deku paused, attempting to rid that visualization from his head. "That's... what I'm not sure about. After I smashed her jaw I-I could see... things. A-Almost like an x-ray." Deku seemed to lose focus, "And then I reached out and Smoke engulfed her jaw... Somehow, I was able to control it and... bash her head against the ceiling."

Chota stopped filing his nails, "Wait, are you saying that it spawned from nowhere? Not from yourself?"

He nodded, the bird masked man putting a hand beneath his beak in thought.

"That's interesting." Chota mused, "I've never heard of Smoke simply appearing from outside the user's body... Unless..." He then stood up from his chair, "Let's try an experiment. Deku, put down-" Chota then pointed at the action figure, "Er, what do you call it again?"

"Small Might." Deku answered.

"Put Small Might down." Deku obliged, placing the action figure on the floor as Chota turning to Noi. "Now, Noi-chan, could you please break your arm."

What?

"WHAT!?" Deku yelling in surprise before Noi bought her fist down on her left arm. A horrible crack was heard, bone sticking out as she casually inflicted a compound fracture on herself. "Noi-san!"

She turned to Deku, Fujita and Ebisu cringing on the couch behind her. "Huh? Oh, don't worry about that, Deku." She then held the broken arm up, blood leaking from the skin. "This is nothing. I can just use my healing magic to regenerate it. Like what I did to your foot."

"Mm." Shin nodded from the table as En watched on, "Noi is pretty much unkillable."

"Aw, thanks Senpai." She then turned to Chota. "Anyways, what's this experiment you wanted to do?"

"Checking to see the conditions Deku needs." He then turned to the boy, "Now, do you see anything, Deku-kun?"

Deku shakily shook her head, "N-No, I-I don't."

Chota crossed his arms, "Alright, now put Small Might back on your shoulder."

He obliged, picking up the action figure. Upon doing so, Deku's eyes widened, Noi's bones highlighted like a chart.

"Anything different?"

Deku nodded, temporarily forgetting the grizzly sight as excitement took the reigns. "I-I can see. I can see Noi-sans broken arm now!"

"Okay! Now try using your Smoke!"

He obliged, holding his arm forward as his hand opened. Smoke spawned around the area of Noi's broken arm, the muscular woman looking at the small cloud with surprise as Deku moved his hand slowly to the left. Noi's arm outstretched despite it's broken nature, Noi letting out a small gasp as she moved across the floor. "Woah! I'm moving!" She then tried to pull back to no avail, "And it's really hard to resist! Cool!"

Chota inspected the sight before nodding, "Hm, I think I've seen enough. You can stop now Deku-kun."

Deku obeyed, lowering his arm as Noi was released from the effect, the Magic User rehealing her arm.

"This is something very, very rare we have here." Chota surmised.

Deku tilted his head as En perked up, his interest stoked as he leaned forward in his chair. "What do you mean?"

Chota turned to Deku. "You're a curse type user Deku."

The teenager blinked.

"I'm a what?" He asked.

"A curse type Magic User." Chota explained, "You've managed to fit 2 of 3 of the criteria so far. Your magic needs some form of condition to be met for it to activate, and that Smoke doesn't naturally come from your body, rather it develops and influences things from the outside."

Deku was astounded, "So... the influence would be how I can control broken bones."

Chota nodded, "Exactly!"

"But... what would be the 3rd criteria?" Deku asked.

"Oh, whether or not you have an ability that activates upon your death."

"... Eh?" Deku simply responded.

"But if you want, we can test that out right now and get Kikurage to revive you-" Chota spoke.

"N-No, it's okay!" Deku vigorously swatting his hands in front of him.

"Deku's got the right idea." Shin agreed, "I've dealt with curse users before. We might not want to kill him just to test it out. For all we know, that ability could be incredibly dangerous to whoever killed him, or anybody in the vicinity." The man then turned his head, "What should we even call your magic anyway?"

"I-" Deku paused, "I really have no idea."

Fujita clambered off the couch, Ebisu as well with a piece of paper in her hands. "Well, in that case-" He then showed the paper, "Ebisu and I came up with a bunch of ideas while you were testing it out."

"Yeah! They're all super badass!" Ebisu added.

The young man handed Deku the piece of paper, Deku looking it over. "Broken Bone magic, Compound Elevated curse..." Deku looked at the last name, "... Fracture Control." He then paused, "I-I actually kinda like the last one, it's the most accurate."

"Then it is decided." En spoke, "From this point on, you are the Magic User Deku, whose curse magic is Fracture Control, the ability to manipulate broken bones."

"Congrats, Deku-kun!" Noi praised, patting Deku on the back. "You've found your magic."

"Yes, congratulations!" Chota clapped.

Deku looked amongst the Magic Users, blinking, an odd sense of accomplishment washing over him. He felt unused to compliments and celebration on his behalf.

"Now, with that settled, Shou."

Suddenly, the wrapped sorcerer appeared by Deku's side, Deku flinching in surprise. "Yes, En?"

"Since Deku is a sorcerer, he's going to need a mask. Bring him to Beelzebub to have his mask made."

Fujita's eyes widened, "Wha- Deku's getting his mask made by a Devil?! Lucky!"

En continued, ignoring Fujita. "Guide him through the process, Shou, and if you so desire, remake your own mask. As soon as you are finished, bring him back to me. I have a proposition for him."

Deku wasn't sure what the significance of him getting a mask was, or what exactly this proposition was. Regardless, he hesitantly followed Shou out the door, the occupants of the room watching him leave.

* * *

Shou hummed to himself as he escorted Deku, once again passing through the maze of hallways. Deku silently trailed behind him, Small Might sitting on his shoulder as he finally mustered the courage to ask a question.

"Um, Shou-san."

"Yeah?" The sorcerer acknowledged.

Deku walked up beside him, "Who's Beezlebub, and why do I need a mask from him?"

"Oh, right. You wouldn't know." Shou remembered, "I guess I'll start with telling you what a Devil even is."

He nodded, Shou beginning.

"Devils are transcended Magic Users who've given up mortality for unlimited power and freedom." Shou explained.

"S-So they're like... Gods?"

"Yep. Which is exactly why we worship them. Chidamura, their leader, is the only natural-born Devil, while the rest of them are all former sorcerers." Shou then looked to the side, musing to himself. "Speaking of which, I haven't seen Chidamura since that Hole incident. I wonder what he's up to nowadays."

"Oh..." Deku then looked back up, "So how does one become a devil?"

Shou laughed, "Ha! It's not easy, that's all I can really tell you. You have to pass the Devil exam which prepares your body to become one." Shou then shrugged, "With a 99.99% mortality rate."

Deku gaped, "That high?!"

"Yep." Shou simply responded. "Now back to masks, you notice how we all wear one, right?"

The boy nodded.

"Well, most masks do tend to boost our magic depending on the material it's made from, but it's also a societal thing too. All sorcerers are required to wear a mask lest you become a social outcast. However-!" Shou put a finger up, tapping the sides of his wrapped mask. "While some masks can be bought or handcrafted, masks made by Devils are especially... Er, special, as the masks they make give the biggest boost." Shou continued, "Which brings us to Beelzebub. Compared to the rest of the Devils, he's the master of any art. His masks are the gold standard."

Deku connected the dots, "So En-sama-"

"Sees a lot of potential in you." Shou finished, just as they arrived at two doorways. "Ah! Here we are."

The door on the left seemed patched up, with spots of unknown liquid staining its frame as a bundle of plant fiber hung off from the front. The right door, in contrast, was clean and shiny, a trident indented atop its frame. Shou went for the right one, opening it and gesturing Deku to follow.

Another sorcerer wearing a waiter's uniform was beside the doorway as they entered, his mask imitating that of a hellhound. The man gave a polite bow, "Welcome."

Shou seemed surprised, "Huh, you guys survived?"

"Devils protect their servants." The sorcerer simply responded before the man looked up, gesturing the two to follow. "Please, this way."

The first thing Deku came to notice was just how nice everything was. Curtains of silk hanged from the walls, the interior decorated with a royal design. Close to the door of the room was two seats and a table, a kettle of tea and a few small plates resting atop it. In the middle harbored two cauldrons, placed side by side. Lastly, set up at the end of the room, was a giant striped tent.

Shou sat down on a chair, Deku as well. Small Might climbed off his shoulder, sitting next to him on the chair as the sorcerer then came back with a lidded tray, lifting it to expose some delicious looking desserts. "Care for some cake?"

"Ooh, yes please!" Shou took one, turning to Deku, "You want one too?"

"Um..." Deku paused, "Is it okay if I-I have the vanilla?"

"Absolutely." Shou responded, handing a piece to Deku, "Here ya go."

"T-Thank you." Deku said as took it, eating it atop a small plate. His eyes widened in surprise, the frosting delicious on the tongue. He peered for a moment, realizing that Shou had unwrapped his mask, his stand out features being sharp teeth and browless eyes, a few worn scars on his middle-aged, and generally unkempt looking face.

The waiter returned once they were finished, bowing again. "You may begin the boiling process."

"Boiling?" Deku asked.

"I'll explain it in a bit." Shou responded, the two standing up as Small Might climbed off the chair. They walked to the two cauldrons, a mysterious liquid frothing within them. Shou picked the rightmost one as Deku stood by the left.

"Please place your mask inside." The waiter requested.

Deku's eyes widened, "I-I don't have a-"

Shou dumped his mask wrappings inside his own cauldron. "Don't worry about it. That's just if you want the same design, so it's just for me really. Your mask is going to be made from scratch."

He nodded in understanding, the waiter returning with a trolley. "Please select your desired ingredients." Atop it was an assortment of random 'ingredients', from pearls to... human eyeballs.

Deku stared at the eyeballs as Shou spoke up. "Alright, now we make a gift for Beelzebub. Just pick a few ingredients, mix it in, and then bring it to boil at around... 666 degrees?" Shou explained.

"Which ingredients should I even pick?" Deku asked, Shou shrugging as the sorcerer focused on his own cauldron.

"Up to you."

Deku turned away from Shou, looking back at the trolley to see Small Might climb to the top of it. Deku blinked, the action figure looking amongst them before picking up a dried newt and showing it to Deku. "Y-You want me to put this in?" Deku asked, Small Might nodding as Deku plucked the newt out of Small Might's hands.

* * *

After the boiling process, the waiter came back with a ladle, bottling their respective gifts.

Shou turned to Deku, "Alright, now use your Smoke on your bottle." The sorcerer then held his hand up, emitting Smoke from his fingertips as it lingered over his bottle before dissipating. "Like this."

Deku nodded, picking up Small Might before concentrating on the bottle, holding his hand out. "_Please work._" Deku simply thought, relieved as Smoke began to spawn from his palm. Though it did nothing to the bottle, of course, seeing as Deku's magic only affected broken bones, Shou gave a nod of approval indicating that he performed the right action.

They then approached the tent, holding their respective bottles.

"And now we give our gifts to Beelzebub. I'll go first, and once I'm out, you go in next."

Deku gulped, "O-Okay..."

Shou disappeared into the tent, a tense minute passing as Deku stood there in silence. Finally, the sorcerer returned, face recovered with new clean and redone wraps. "That's me done. It's now your turn."

He nodded, Shou speaking as he walked in. "Don't be shy. And remember, be courteous."

The first thing Deku noticed upon entering the tent was the being that sat in the middle of it, sporting a stitched luchador mask and horns. A long tongue lazily hanged from the creature's mask as it wore a denim jacket with a black shirt. Hooved legs stuck out from its pinstriped pants as a furry tail stuck out from behind it. Its claws rested on its lap, patiently waiting.

His first look at a 'Devil', and so far, he couldn't help but feel intimidated by the being.

Deku approached him, body tense yet managing to just keep his cool, bowing his shaky head before handing Beelzebub his bottle. Beelzebub accepted it, popping off the cork and drinking all of it in one go as Deku watched.

And then Beelzebub promptly puked into his own clawed hands, Deku's eyes widening as the Devil's digits were a blur, molding the vomit as the substance turned white. Within seconds, Beelzebub now held a mask in his hands, Deku staring at it.

Its surface was pure white, two openings indicating the eye holes. A smooth curved line descended from these holes, running across the mask. However, the most standout was the smile depicted on it, displaying rows of sharp teeth as two verticle lines ran from both edges of the grin, giving the impression of a puppet's mouth. Simplistic... yet beautifully drawn together.

Beelzebub held out the mask, Deku quickly realizing that Beelzebub was going to put it on him. He bowed his head, remembering Shou's words yet trying to dispell the notion that it was indeed crafted from vomit. Thankfully, it didn't smell in the slightest or feel like puke, if anything, it felt incredibly comfy and fitting. Deku looked back up, now with the mask on as Beelzebub produced something from his pocket.

A flower.

The Devil slotted the pretty flora atop where Deku's ear would be. A few seconds passed before Deku realized that the process was complete. He bowed again, turning around to leave the tent as Beelzebub silently watched. He was greeted by Shou upon his exit.

"Huh, nice mask." Shou complimented. "They say Beelzebub bestows the best masks with a flower."

Deku nodded, speaking as his voice was surprisingly clear behind his mask. "T-Thank you, Shou-san." He then realized something, "Wait, then how come yours doesn't have a fl-" Deku then shut his mouth quickly, Shou's body slumping in a depressed slouch.

"Guess Beelzebub thinks my design is lame..."

* * *

The two returned to En, Deku standing beside Shou with their newly made masks on. He had been bought to En's room, the sorcerer sitting on a posh chair.

"Now that you've returned, I'll jump straight to the point."

En focused his gaze toward Deku.

"How would you like to become one of my Cleaners, alongside Shin and Noi?"

"A cleaner?" Deku asked.

"A hitman." En explained, "Usually when some ingrate messes with my family, I send my Cleaners to 'dispose' of them."

"... S-So a Cleaner... kills people?" Deku then froze up, "Shin-san and Noi-san... kill people?"

En nodded, "I'm surprised that wasn't obvious to you before." En then paused, noticing Deku's shocked expression. "Ah, I understand how that might be an issue for you." En then shrugged, "But I'll tell you the cold hard reality, Deku. This is the life of a sorcerer. What happened to you last night was merely the tip of the devil's horn. You can either choose to give and die...-" En's stare intensified, "-or take and live."

Deku gulped, a nervous sweat breaking out behind his mask.

"But..." En crossed his arms, "I'm also overexaggerating a bit. In case you haven't noticed, there are very few left in The Magic User World. For all I know, you may have killed the only opposition I had last night, and I had no idea who she even was."

"S-So you're saying it's... safer?"

En crossed his arms, "Compared to before at least. Anyways, that is beside the point. I believe I have a more important question to ask you, Deku."

He looked at Deku.

"What is it that you want?"

Deku paused, taking in En's question. What was it that he wanted? At first, he thought of wanting his memory back, a sense of closure and understanding of who he was before losing it. But then he began to think more deeply, a second opinion slowly revealing itself. Deku had magic now, he wanted to understand ways it could be applied and what its limits were, and what it meant for him. At first, he thought this longing was newfound, yet he then began to realize that perhaps it was always there, stirring at the back of his head like a distorted dream.

A desperate grasp at something that made him special.

He turned his head slightly, peering at Small Might as the action figure stared back at him. Deku then turned to En, finding his answer.

"I still want to know who I am. But for now..." Deku raised his hand, Smoke curling within his digits. "I want to know all about my magic. I want to use it and to understand how it can be used. I-I-" Deku paused. "I don't want to be useless ever again."

En's cheeks moved, Deku realizing that the man was smiling behind his mouth covering mask. "That, right there, is what makes an elite Magic User. Understanding what you desire is understanding what you can accomplish."

Deku looked down, yet slowly nodded in acknowledgment.

The boss seemed to analyze him for a moment before leaning back into his seat, "You may leave to consider my offer. But I do expect an answer by the end of the day."

* * *

Deku walked the halls on his lonesome, mind deep in thought.

He turned toward Small Might, "What do you think?"

Small Might merely shrugged, Deku sighing. "Right... I guess this is something I have to figure out for myself." He rounded the corner before spotting two familiar masks, his eyes widening behind his own.

Sure enough, Noi and Shin were walking down the corridor, both of them pausing upon seeing Deku.

"Looking good Deku. How does your mask feel?" Noi spoke.

Deku ran a hand across the devil made fabric, "Really comfy."

Noi nodded as Shin spoke.

"Noi and I can relate." He tapped the side of his heart mask, "Beelzebub made ours as well."

Deku nodded before Noi shrugged, "Welp, take care Deku."

"W-Wait." Deku spoke out, Noi and Shin taking pause. "Um... where are you both going?"

"Cleaning." Shin simply answered. "Probably the last time for a while until the sorcerer population goes back up."

"Oh..." Deku then paused, "Can I come with you?"

* * *

Noi and Shin opened the door to a dark room, with the latter flicking the lights on.

A giant covered thing laid in the middle of the garage, Noi throwing the covers off to reveal a shiny looking vintage car. "Woah..." Deku marveled, Shin opening the door to sit in the driver's seat as while Noi sat shotgun.

Shin turned his head, door still open. "You coming?"

Deku nodded, opening the door to the backseat and sitting in the middle. The garage door opened, Shin turning on the engine before the went underway, still in the impossibly vast compound that was En's mansion.

"... So..." Shin spoke, "What's the reason you wanted to come along?"

Noi nodded, "Yeah, that was kinda out of the blue."

Deku paused before responding. "En offered me to become a Cleaner."

"What?!"

The exclamation surprisingly came from Shin, his eyes wide yet remaining on the road. Noi turned her head, peering past her seat. "Seriously!?" She then turned back, cupping her chin. "Huh, did not expect that from my cousin..."

Deku nervously fidgeted, "S-Sorry I didn't tell you before. I-I just wanted to get an idea of what being a Cleaner was like, seeing as you two are."

There was a pause before Shin spoke. "That's alright. But I have to warn you Deku... it's a dirty and demanding job." He sighed, "Truthfully, I became a Cleaner because I wanted to fight strong opponents, Noi as well."

"Yep! That and I failed the devil exam." Noi added. "But En often sends us to deal with threats, and when we're not dealing with threats, we're disposing of bodies."

Shin nodded, "So you think you can handle it?"

Deku looked out the window, noticing trees now brushing past. "That's what I'm hoping to figure out."

* * *

The car came to a stop, the occupants exiting.

Small Might was sitting atop Deku's shoulder once, the boy inspecting the rundown house.

"This looks like an ideal staging ground." Shin commented, walking forward with Noi as Deku followed.

"A staging ground for wha-?"

And then the smell hit him, a horrible toe-curling smell that made Deku pause in his tracks. Shin and Noi took notice as well, with the former taking something out of his pocket. "Here, these are nose plugs. You might want to put them on for this."

Deku didn't hesitate, slipping them underneath his mask as Noi opened the door. Effluvia managed to escape from the inside, light sinking into the first room as Deku's eyes widened.

A mound of decomposed heads laid atop the floor, the skin having rotted off their faces as dirty skull and bone began to show. Deku's hair stood on end, eyes watering from the sheer decay of the atmosphere. And he could see small little x-rays from where they're necks had been separated from their lost bodies thanks to Small Might sitting atop his shoulder.

Deku didn't know what was more disturbing. The fact that it was a room full of human heads, or that for a brief moment, he was more interested in the effect his magic had on said heads.

"Wow, how did we even miss this spot?" Noi commented, scratching the back of her mask.

Shin shrugged, turning to Deku. "This is your first test, Deku. Noi and I aren't judging if you want to turn around and wait outside. But just know that this is what is expected of a Cleaner." Shin then picked up one of the heads from the floor with his bare hands, placing it inside a trash bag.

Noi and Shin began the grueling task, Deku's mind at conflict with itself.

Just what should he do?

And for some odd reason, he reasonably surmised.

What did he want to do?

Of course, he still wanted to learn his own magic, but there was also a new realization. A realization of how much the En family had helped him and given him a new life, not even expecting anything for return.

From what he had seen and known so far, the En family were good people, even if they probably did terrible things.

So what better way then to make himself useful? Deku raised his hand as he narrowed his eyes, concentrating. He was unsure if his Smoke would work or not on the already dead victims, but he was quickly satisfied to see Smoke envelop their necklines.

"_So my magic does work on bodies too..._" Deku quietly thought.

Every single head was lifted in the room, Shin and Noi taken aback as the former turned his head to him. Shin said nothing, but his perceptive eyes already gave it away.

He knew Deku had made his choice.

* * *

"Good job!" Noi said, clapping Deku on the back as he felt the air get knocked out of him. "Thanks to you, we were able to clear that house in no time!"

They stared down at the now buried mass grave, the smelly trashbags having been tossed in as Shin placed a small stone egg atop it. "Hm." Shin simply agreed, walking off the small mound.

"..." Deku looked up from the disturbed dirt, "What was that just now? Why was there so many human...-"

"-Heads?" Shin asked, Deku nodding as the man scratched the back of his mask. "Hmm... Where to even begin?"

Noi chipped in, "You could say it's the work of a rival boss!"

Shin nodded, "Yeah. That's a good place to start." He then turned to Deku. "Basically, En's rival, the boss of the Crosseyes, had taken over the Magic-User world for a while after killing En."

"En was killed before?" Deku asked, already knowing that Kikkurage probably revived the sorcerer.

The heart masked man nodded before continuing.

"Yeah. Anyways, the Crosseye Boss's whole gimmick was that he'd take the devil tumors out of the heads of dead sorcerers and use their magic for his own. So you can thank him and his gang for leaving all these heads behind."

Deku nodded in understanding. "So then... what happened to this rival boss?"

"That's where it gets complicated." Shin explained, "Turns out this guy was a manifestation called Hole, the ancient embodiment of death and human hatred toward magic users."

The boy blinked, Noi chipping in once more, "Yeah. A really long time ago, sorcerers used to kill humans by the dozen and stack there corpses atop each other. That's what became the center of The Hole. Even until the present, Sorcerers would even go to The Hole to use it as a playground to test their magic on humans."

Deku gaped, "That sounds terrible! D-Didn't the humans ever try and fight back?"

"They did..." Shin spoke with a hint of venom in his voice. "Toward the more modern times, the humans formed a militia... But I killed them all." Shin narrowed his eyes, now filled with hate. "They killed my mother because she was a magic user and tortured my human father to death. Neither of them did anything to deserve it..." He then crossed his arms, a seething tone in his voice. "So I simply returned the favor."

Deku was silent as Shin casually continued.

"So back to what I was saying, all those dead humans were what formed Hole." Shin grunted, "And Hole was a huge pain in the ass for us. But we defeated it thanks to the help of some... friends." He then shrugged, "And that's the end of it. A lot of sorcerers died, about 99% of the population. But... because of that, I guess ironically everything has been balanced out. The humans can now use the bones of Hole's body as a defense against sorcerers, and magic users can focus on rebuilding."

An oddly bittersweet ending, Deku concluded before his stomach growled, realizing he had done quite a bit of physical labor yet had not eaten a single thing.

Noi blinked, "Wow, you must be pretty hungry." Noi then began to walk off, "I'll get the car started."

"T-Thank you." Deku simply said before noticing Shin about to leave. "Wait, Shin-san."

Shin turned around, Deku looking down for a moment behind his mask before looking back up.

"I... just wanted to say that I'm really sorry about your mother and father. I didn't mean to bring it up."

"Don't apologize, there's no way you could've known. Besides, it's all in the past." Shin then sighed, "Looking back, I really did screw over a lot of people by killing off one of the few defenses they had against sorcerers. And even though a lot of the militia were just thugs, I bet a few of them were just like me, people who just lost loved ones and wanted revenge" Shin shrugged, "But, at the same time... It's odd, you know? If they didn't kill my mother and father, and if I didn't kill them..." Shin turned his head, watching Noi as she walked away. "I would've never met Noi, or joined the En family for that matter."

He then turned back to Deku.

"Life has a weird and violent way of happening."

In all honesty, with Deku knowing the brutalized state he had been found in, and how he had almost been killed before discovering his magic...

He couldn't help but agree with Shin.

* * *

They were sat back inside the car, Shin driving as Noi looked out the window.

A few moments passed before Noi yelled, her eyes wide behind her mask.

"Stop the car!"

Shin obliged, slamming the breaks and making Deku thankful that he had thought to buckle his seatbelt as he let out a grunt. Shin turned his head to her, Noi pointing at something outside. Two sorcerers could be seen cleaning a storefront, the first being a frightening and burly looking man in a fur coat, his mask animalistic looking in nature. The other wore a simple ski mask and a white dress shirt.

"Look! It's the meat pie guys!"

"Wha- Who?" Shin asked, "You mean from the contest?" Shin then scratched the back of his head, eyes scrunched behind his mask. "Weird... I don't remember much about what happened, who won again?"

"The meat pie guys obviously." Noi turned her head back before putting down the window, sticking her masked head outside of the car. "Hey! Meat pie guys!"

Both sorcerers turned, blankly staring at her before the burly one seemed to recognize her. "Oh, it's you, hungry lady!"

* * *

Bags full of meat pies were placed in the backseat beside Small Might, the sorcerers now with their masks off as they feasted.

"Noi, don't eat so sloppily. You're going to dirty the seat." Shin scolded.

"I can't help it, Senpai! These pies are sooo good!"

Deku nodded in agreement, looking down at his own pie. "Yeah... They really are delicious." He then began to thoroughly analyze, "I'm not sure what it is, but there's a distinct, almost gamey taste to it, but with the right amount of fat imbued inside the meat. Tanba said he the insides marinated with vegetable broth, I wonder if-"

Shin spoke in a deadpanned tone. "You're thinking way too hard about this..."

"Oh. Right, s-sorry." Deku took another bite out of his food.

"Hm." Shin then blinked, "Hold on. There's something on the road." The car came to a steady stop, thee trio staring forward.

Giant logs were put atop the road, column by column rather than row by row. They looked at the strange sight before Noi finally spoke, "... Is this a roadblock?"

Shin shrugged before slipping on his mask. "Dunno. Get your masks on."

Deku looked to the side, Small Might handing him his mask as he wordlessly thanked the little being. He slipped it on, Shin and Noi already opening the door to walk outside as he followed them.

They reached it, a few moments passing before Shin finally spoke up. "... This design is really starting to piss me off. Why the hell did they set the logs vertically when one log going across the have worked just fine?"

"You can say that again." Noi agreed, "It probably took a lot more effort as well" She then turned to Deku, "What do you think, Deku-kun?"

"M-Me? Well, I kinda agree with Shin-san, it really is an awkward desig-" He then noticed something stir in a nearby bush, Shin noticing as well.

"Heads up." The heart-masked cleaner then walked forward brandishing his hammer. "Alright. Show yourself."

Whispering was heard inside the bush.

And then exploded into whispy black confetti, four figures leaping through the air and landing a few meters in front of the trio. Deku flinched, Noi readied her fists, and Shin raised a brow.

"Ha ha! Fallen right into our trap." The first figure laughed, a sorcerer wearing a simply looking clown mask.

"You fools, how could you be so naive!" Another spoke with a deep voice, wearing an ornate silver headdress.

The next one, a girl bearing a metallic mask, giggled. "And to think, all it took was a little bit of patience."

"Forget the talk, let's just kill these guys!" The last yelled behind an intimidating insectoid mask.

Deku took a step back, Small Might standing in front of him as the action figure was ready to fight. Shin simply turned to the logs before turning back to the bandit group. "So it was you four idiots who built this terribly inefficient roadblock?"

"Oh, we're not four idiots." The clown mask spoke, "We are-"

They then came close together, performing a group pose. "The survivors of the black rain! Fear us! For our magic power is incredible!"

Shin sighed, muttering loud enough for Deku and Noi to hear "Ugh... of course. A couple of idiots survive an apocalypse and think their hot shit..." He then spoke up, "Alright, I'll give you guys one more chance. In case you haven't noticed, we're with En."

"Ha! Nice try." The clown mask then stepped forward, now closer to the trio. "But now we're the law around here!"

Deku turned to Noi, "A-Are we going have to fight?"

Noi smiled behind her mask, cracking her knuckles. "I sure hope so."

"Ho?" Shin asked, grip tightening on his hammer. "So you really want to go through with this?"

"Absolut-"

It happened in the blink of an eye. Shin had rushed forward before anyone could even react, launching a right swing with the claw part of his carpenter hammer and embedding it into the side of the clown mask's head. Blood spurted everywhere, drenching Shin's arm red. The clown sorcerer fell to the floor, the others of his group staring with wide eyes as Shin turned to them. "Who's next."

Deku watched mouth agape as Noi charged forward, capitalizing on the enemy's shock to close the distance. The silver mask seemed to finally recover, shooting out a wave of Smoke from his pinky finger toward Shin.

"Noi, combo!" Shin yelled, Noi unclasping the mouthpiece of her mask open as Shin leaped. He was struck by the silver mask's Smoke, body immediately turning into gold before Noi's Smoke touched him. The gold receded instantly, Shin returning into flesh and bone as the gold mask sorcerer tilted his head.

"Uh-"

"ORA!" Shin roared as smashed his hammer into the sorcerer's skull, eyes literally popping from the open holes of the mask. Deku cringed at the violent display, yet oddly enough, was able to turn his attention away spotting the two other sorcerers, the girl with the metal mask pointing a hand at Noi.

Noi was in danger.

Small Might leaped up, grasping onto his arm subconsciously as Deku raised his right hand. He could see the pierced skulls of both the clown and the gold mask, turbulent Smoke building up around the areas of fracture.

And then he pulled.

Both the clown's body and the gold mask were thrown by their heads in front of Noi, absorbing the girl's Smoke as their bodies exploded into gnarling roots. She lowered her hand, wide eyes turning to Deku, not noticing that Noi was now close to her. Noi punched the girl, both mask, blood, and teeth flying right off the sorceress's now exposed face, the girl's eyes twitching as her brain seemed to have shut down from the sheer trauma. Noi then grabbed her by the throat, lifting her.

"Heave-!" Noi then slammed her head into the pavement with seemingly no effort, face embedding itself as the road literally cratered from impact. "-HO!" The girl's body was left almost reminiscent of an ostrich that had stuck its head too far into the ground.

Comedic... were it not so macabre.

Deku averted his eyes from the sight. Three had been taken care of, which reminded him that there was still another sorcerer. He felt Small Might tug on his arm, realizing that the action figure was trying to warn him of something.

A shadow fell over him.

He raised Small Might before a pair of gnashing teeth attacked, the insectoid mask having used his unknown magic to turn himself into some flying rat looking creature. The only reason Deku's neck hadn't been mauled open was the fact that Small Might's body had been jammed between the sharp maw, Deku keeping the sorcerer at bay.

"Deku!" Noi yelled.

Deku could feel his heart beating as if threatening to burst, his brain working overtime as adrenalin surged.

And for the first time, Deku realized.

He was beginning to enjoy this.

The teen pulled back with all his might, wrenching Small Might out of the sorcerer's maw, hand pushing against his assailant's shoulder to keep the transformed sorcerer at bay. And then he swung with his right hand, smashing Small Might against the sorcerer's chest. The creature's ribs broke like a china plate despite what should've been a weak hit, stumbling backward as his magic dissipated.

"G-!"

Smoke enveloped from behind the man. Not Deku's, or Noi's... but-

"Normally, I'd never use my Smoke on such a weak ass Sorcerer-" Shin spoke, digits emitting a cloud of Smoke.

The man, for all intents and purposes, was dissected, body immediately slicing into even sections as blood flew everywhere, covering Deku from head to toe as he blinked behind his once white mask.

"-but for you, I'll make an exception."

The sorcerer's parts fell to the floor, head rolling up next to Deku, eyes blinking behind the mask to indicate that despite the dissected nature of the man...

He was still alive.

Shin spoke, walking up next to a slightly on edge Deku. "My magic allows me to slice things up. If it's living, they stay alive." Shin then kicked the head away, the body part rolling off the road. "Like this piece of shit."

"O-Ow!" The insect mask's head yelled before coming to a stop atop the grass.

Noi walked up next to Deku too, the three having regrouped as Deku realizing that they were all covered in blood. She looked at the head before turning to Deku, "Good job Deku-kun! You just saved me a lot of pain back there!"

He regressed back to his squeamish self, scratching the back of his bloodied mask. "E-Er... w-well, I-I mean, you look like you had-"

"Just take the compliment." Shin spoke, heart mask turning to him. "You did well. In fact, I'd say we all worked pretty well together."

"Yeah!" Noi agreed.

Deku paused before he nodded, silently smiling behind his mask. Another foreign feeling bubbled up within him, a feeling that, if he were to best describe it, would be a sense of belonging.

"Anyhow, let's get going. The meat pies will get cold." Shin finished, walking toward the car. Noi and Deku followed, with the latter attempting to drown out the insect masks pleas for help in the background as the head was left behind.

* * *

En silently cut into a garlic roasted mushroom, the smell fragrant and savory before raising it to his mouth.

The door to his room opened, Noi calling out. "Hey cous', we're back!"

He turned his head, his two Cleaners covered head to toe in blood. His eyes scrunched in annoyance, just wondering how much blood they had probably tracked throughout the mansion. Yet most surprising was that Deku was amongst them, and like Shin and Noi, was covered as well, with Small Might sitting on his shoulder.

En supposed that made the boy's answer obvious.

"So I take it you have decided?"

There was a pause, Shin and Noi looking at Deku before he gulped. Deku then stepped forward, nodding. "I-I think I have..."

En then put down his fork, "Well? Out with it then."

The eyes behind the boy's mask were now filled with a strict determination.

Finally, Deku spoke.

"En-sama, I want to be a Cleaner."

* * *

**What we learned from the second chapter:**

**1\. Beelzebub makes great masks.**

**2\. Deku's magic type is curse magic.**

**3\. Noi, Shin, and Deku, make a pretty good team.**

**And what you will learn from the third chapter... That's still a mystery.**

**That is... Welcome to Chaos!**

* * *

**AND THAT'S THAT. Sorry, I was supposed to follow up on this chapter more quickly, but I've been kinda diverting work between stories, and college has started up again. Anywho, some might have noticed the small cameo of Tanba and Fukuyama. I was also gonna have Kirion and Asuka cameo as well, but I felt it would have been too distracting for the chapter. Tanba and Fukuyama might show up again later on, with the two aforementioned restaurant staff, cause Kirion was actually super important to the plot.**

**Another thing I want to point out is that we finally get to see Deku's mask! You may have noticed that the cover is indeed Deku wearing his mask (albeit with a bit of battle damage.). A friend helped me do the base of it, general shape and the eyes, while I did all the details, like the pupils, the mouth, the bandages, etc. A big shout out to him.**

**Now let's answer some questions.**

**TheHysteric : Thanks for taking the time to review! There's just something really unique about Dorohedoro that really separates it from other material, and you can tell the amount of love that's been put into both the manga AND the anime. Anyhow, to answer your question, this story will be a crossover... with the 'crossing over' being very, very soon, like the next chapter soon. After all, sorcerer doors are able to jump between worlds... As for Deku meeting other characters of both Dorohedoro and BNHA, most definitely. I have big plans for this story, and a lot of twists and turns.**

**King of Jiongu : Again, I won't say too much, but I will tell you one tidbit. Deku was taken at before a very, very, crucial time... and no one was left none the wiser because of another reason, that reason being identified later in the story. Cryptic, I know, but I guarantee everyone's gonna shit bricks when it comes out.**


	3. Deku in training

"Because there is a lack of both enemies and bodies to be 'cleaned' as of now. I want you two to focus on training and grooming Deku to become a proper Cleaner. Are you both up to the task?" En asked.

"Yeah, we can do that." Shin answered, Noi nodding as well.

"Good." En then turned to Deku, "Shin and Noi will both be your mentors for the time being. They may not be curse type users like yourself, but they will teach you everything there is to know about fighting."

Deku nodded, "U-Understood."

En turned away, back to reading a magazine. "Alright, you may go."

* * *

"So hows the training going?"

Deku flinched, almost dropping the juice-box in his hands as Small Might fell off, clothes and mask cleaned of blood. Shou had, unsurprisingly, given the man's magic, startled him.

"I thought that block you did to defend yourself was pretty cool."

"T-Thanks." Deku said as he looked down, picking up Small Might from the ground. He then turned to Shou, the invisibility caster sitting next to him. "How did you know?"

"I was in the room. I saw the whole thing go down." Shou explained.

"So you were invisible?" Deku asked.

"Er... No..." Shou then scratched the back of his wrappings, "I was standing by the door..."

"Oh-" Deku paused, "I-I'm really sorry that I didn't notice, Shou-san."

"Nah, it's alright. People tend to not notice me even when I'm visible." That struck a chord with Deku for some reason, "I think the only person who actually ever noticed my presence at all times was my Partner back in the day."

"Partner?" Deku asked.

"Oh, right. You wouldn't know about that either." Shou then began the exposition. "Basically, you know how we have devil tumors inside our heads, right?"

Deku nodded, Shou continuing.

"Well, we also have another special organ that sets us apart from humans." Shou then patted his chest. "We also have Contracts inside our bodies."

The boy looked down at his own chest, "Like, a paper contract?"

"Yeah, kinda. But it's made out of flesh." Shou continued, "Every four years, we have a festival called the Blue Night Festival in which the Black House appears. If you bring another sorcerer and yourself into the black house, you can get devils to sign each other's Contracts and thus enabling a partnership."

"So what does a partnership do? What are the benefits?" Deku asked.

"Uh, a few things. One is that it gives censorial powers between two sorcerers, where they are, they're wellbeing, etc. The other is that if the partner is unwilling, they become docile and follow the will of the other."

Deku was shocked, "Wait, are you saying the other sorcerer gets mind control if it's not consensual?!"

"Yep."

Deku paused, looking up in thought as he began to mutter. "So in that case, an ideal partner would be someone whose magic compliments each other and that you hold a strong relationship wi-"

"You're thinking way too hard about this Deku." Shou interrupted, "A partner can be anybody. A friend, a mentor, a hostage, it all just works."

"Okay." Deku responded, nodding in understanding. "So what was your partner like Shou-san?"

"Funny you ask." Shou seemed to think hard, cupping his chin. "He was a... pretty weird guy, and that's coming from me. I don't even think I figured out what his magic even was." Shou then paused, "But then he died. A freak Smoke accident while we were raiding a Crosseye hideout. But he and I were some of the founding members, there on day one after En freed us."

"Freed you? From what?" Deku asked, head tilted.

"Smoke harvesting factory." Shou answered, "I was kidnapped and harvested for my rare invisibility Smoke." Shou then tapped his wraps, "That's why my body is pretty scarred. They were taking all the Smoke I had..."

"That sounds terrible..." Deku spoke in a horrified tone.

"Yeah, it was." Shou admitted, "But then En came along. He too had been imprisoned inside that dreaded factory since he was a baby, but they tossed him out to die once he was drained of his Smoke. Despite that, he survived and returned one day, using his mushroom magic to kill the owners and destroy the factory, freeing all of us."

"Wow... what En-sama did was..." Deku blinked, "Heroic."

"Well, since I've known En the longest, I'll admit it. He is a bit of a narcissist..." Shou looked down, "But he really does care about the people under him, even if it doesn't look like it."

Shou simply responded before perking up, "Oh look, Shin and Noi are back."

Sure enough, the duo had returned, Noi waving. "Hey, Deku!"

Shin came up to Deku, looking down at the boy. "You ready to start training again?"

He nodded, "Yep!" He then turned to Shou. "Thank you for explaining that all to me, Shou-san." Deku then paused, "But one last thing, what was your partner's name?"

Shou paused for a moment, "I think his name was...-"

The magic-user seemed to struggle for a moment.

"Lemme think... Ah! I remember now!"

He turned to Deku.

"His name was Hizashi!"

Shou shrugged.

"Could be surprisingly talkative, and funny, but you could tell he was hiding something."

"Huh." Deku nodded, "That's good to know." He then waved, "Well, I'll try and see you later, Shou-san!"

"Good luck to that." Shou simply replied, Deku and Small Might walking off with Shin and Noi.

* * *

"All right, so...-" Chota patted the first stacked pile of books atop the table where Deku sat, "These are all the books I found on bone structure and anatomy. And this-" The sorcerer tapped the top of a more minuscule and smaller stack. "-is all I could find regarding curse type magics. It's... not much, but that's because curse type magic is just so rare."

"T-That's fine." Deku said, bowing his head as Small Might picked up one of the books, idly flipping through its pages. "Thank you so much for finding these, Chota-san."

"Don't mention it Deku-kun." Chota replied, "I gotta admit, I'm kinda surprised at how much diligence and time you're devoting to learning about your own magic. You must have been quite the analyst before you lost your memory."

"Maybe..." Deku thought for a moment before shrugging, "But you're pretty good at analyzing too Chota-san. You know so much about magic!"

"Oh, why thank you. What a nice thing to say." Chota seemed to swell with pride, teeth shining behind his bird beaked mask. "Truthfully though, it's kind of a necessity in my case. My magic is all about dispelling after all."

Deku blinked, "Dispelling? So you can remove the effects of other sorcerer's magic?"

Chota nodded, "Yep! Precisely that! It's not as quick or effective as Noi's healing magic, but it's definitely needed when En needs a more subtle touch, like uncovering illusions to name an example!"

* * *

"So let's see what we've learned here."

Noi held out three fingers.

"One is that Small Might is really, really, tough when being held in your hands."

Deku nodded, peering around at the broken wooden planks in the gigantic training room, a testimony of how he had smashed the action figure against them. Small Might was as hard as a steel mace when held in his hands but weak as plastic when on his lonesome.

"Two is that you've gotten pretty used to pain already."

The boy blinked at that before looking down, realizing that his wrist was fractured, his hand twisted at an odd angle after Shin had hit it too hard during one of their spars. "... Is that normal?"

Shin shrugged, "More or less. Noi and I are the same. You get pretty used to pain under this lifestyle."

Noi counted the third finger, "And third is... what was the third again?"

"We've yet to find that out, if there even is any more we can learn." Shin answered before turning to Deku, "By the way, you might wanna get Noi to fix that wrist before we start again."

"I'm already on it." Noi was already opening her mouthpiece before Deku spoke.

"W-Wait, sorry Noi-san but-" He paused for a moment, moving his arm as his hand slumped. "I kind of want to try something out..."

"Huh? You mean you wanna continue fighting?" Noi asked.

"Ho?" Shin raised an eye, "You sure Deku? I don't really like fighting someone when they're under a handicap."

"Well... depending on how this goes..." Deku's tone was soft, but for some reason, oddly menacing. "I might not be."

Shin seemed to smile behind his mask, toothy grin just visible beneath the zipper of his backward mask. "Is that so?" Shin then readied his hammer, "Alright then Deku. Whenever you're ready."

Deku charged without warning, Shin raising his hammer to parry his blow. Deku had gotten quick with using Small Might, as the training he did with Shin began to show. He swung again, Shin blocking it before grabbing Deku by the wrist. He yelped before Shin kicked him in the stomach, knocking the air out of his lungs.

"We talked about this Deku! If you get hit-!" Shin then smashed his hammer against Deku's arm, breaking it. "-Make sure to return the favor!"

Deku's eyes widened as he clenched his teeth, arm broken now broken alongside his wrist. Just because he was used to pain, didn't mean he did not feel it. He slumped, kneeling down as Shin raised his hammer, intent on bringing it down upon Deku.

Only for the boy to raise his broken arm, Smoke enveloping them.

He flew upward, his curse going into effect and dragging the fractured limb as Shin's eyes widened. "You used your magic on yourself-!?"

"YES!" Deku both confirmed and yelled, smashing Small Might into Shin's shoulder. "I DID!" The upper left side of Shin's body literally deformed as Shin grunted out, clutching his now ruined limb, Deku was about to use his magic on Shin.

But the sorcerer was quicker.

Shin gyrated his body, swinging his ruined arm, hand still clutching his hammer as the clawed part breached the side of Deku's head. Deku blinked, realizing that tears had developed in his eyes. "_Oh wait..._" He felt unsteady, dropping Small Might as he collapsed, "_That's blood..._"

Deku collapsed, Shin looking down with his ruined shoulder. "Can you continue Deku?"

He was just able to shake his head, Noi using her Smoke on the both of them as Deku felt control return to his body, his wounds closing. Within an instant, he was good as new, slowly standing back up.

Shin lifted his mask, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Whew, you almost got me there Deku..." He then slipped the mask back down. "I guess this means we found out the third thing about you. You can use your magic on yourself."

Noi quivered with excitement. "Does this mean you can fly and stuff!?"

Deku paused before nodding, "I-I guess, as long as a piece of my body is broken... but to tell you the truth." Deku strained his arm, "That was really, really, painful. I don't know if I can do it for too long."

Shin shrugged, "Well if the pain is the only limiting factor then pretty soon you should be able to do it for far longer."

"Y-You really think so?" Deku asked.

"Deku, I know so. Your progress this past week has been... well, to put it nicely, fucking terrifying."

* * *

"So you can use your magic on yourself?" Fujita asked, Deku nodding.

"Yeah, I can pull myself upward using my Smoke on my own fractured bones." Deku then dislocated a few of his fingers on his left hand, raising the hand as Smoke enveloped it. He was then lifted through the air, held aloft by the gas-like substance as Small Might held on tightly to his shoulder. "S-See?"

Fujita's eyes widened, Ebisu watching as well. "Woah! That's incredible!"

"Heehee..." Ebisu giggled, "Looks kinda funny!"

Deku quickly lowered himself back down, panting in labored gasps. "O-Only problem is that i-it's really painful because I'm tugging the bones beneath my flesh... which gives me an idea of what being on the receiving end of it is like... but Shin said I'd get used to it." Deku shrugged, grasping onto his hand and readjusting his fingers. "I think for better results and control, I'd have to find a way to break my own arm and be able to refix it without having to rely on Noi's magic... maybe I can try dislocating from the elbow if that's possible? It'll probably be the least painful method while giving me the most control to-"

Ebisu called out, "You're muttering again, Stupid Name!"

"Ah, Sorry!"

"Eh, it's alright." Fujita then sighed, Ebisu and Deku turning their heads to him. "I just wish I could do things like that with my magic..."

Deku paused before shrugging, "Well, I-I'm sure you can." Deku then paused, a long awkward silence. "Er, if you don't mind me asking Fujita-san, what can you do with your magic?"

"Not much really. As the name of my magic implies, all I can really do is shoot my Smoke out really fast, like a bullet. The only problem is that my Smoke has little mass on its own, so most of the time, I have to use a lot of power to make it remotely effective. That's why I usually use it in conjunction with a gun." Fujita sighed, "But En doesn't allow that, not that I can blame him. Any sorcerer worth his or her salt shouldn't have to rely on technology." Fujita hung his head, "If only my magic was stronger..."

"How fast does your magic make things?" Deku asked.

"Oh, uh, pretty fast I guess. My smoke can send a baseball flying at 160 kilometers per hour."

Deku blinked, his eyes wide. "Seriously?!"

Fujita rubbed his arm, "I know, it's kinda lame but-"

"That's incredible, Fujita-san!" Deku went on a spree, "Just imagine all the things you can do with your Smoke! You could make any small object a deadly projectile by using a bit of your Smoke and throwing it! O-Or maybe you can take something bigger and shoot it like a cannonball!" Deku seemed to think faster then he could talk, "Knives! Imagine sending a knife at 160 kilometers instead of a baseball, that would cut through anything! What else can you do with it?! Can you also delay it and then reactivate it again to turn it into some sort of trap?"

The young man simply stood there, dumbstruck with realization. "... I... I don't know. I-..."

Ebisu spoke up, holding her head up and crossing her arms. "Fujita's stupid. Never thinking outside of the box."

"Knock it off Ebisu!" Fujita then paused, hanging his head down. "But I guess I kinda am. I never thought of all of that before..."

Deku shrugged, "I mean, I-I didn't know my magic could control my own broken bones until I tested it. But from what I understand...-" Deku looked away, eyes distant behind his mask. "Magic itself shouldn't be what makes you special, the way you use it is what matters."

Fujita seemed to take in Deku's words, silently picking up a rock from the ground. The two other sorcerers silently watched, confused. He then threw it, bits of Smoke teetering around the stone's surface. It shot forward, whistling as it smashed into a tree, sinking into its tough bark and coming at the other side. Deku and Ebisu staring with awe as Fujita turned to them.

Fujita then smiled. "You really know how to bring out the best in people Deku."

* * *

"Shin, Noi. How is Deku's training proceeding?" En asked.

Deku looked up from reading his book on Osteology as held a cup of mushroom tea. The entire En family sat in the dining room, having an afternoon tea as Shin and Noi sitting beside him, the latter speaking up. "Pretty good! Deku's learning really fast! He almost got the jump on Senpai the other day!"

Shin nodded, "Yep. He's creative with his magic."

Deku embarrassingly hung his head down at the praises, staring at the table as En spoke again. "And what do you think, Deku? Are you satisfied with the training."

"M-Me?" Deku asked, "O-Of course! Shin-san and Noi-san are great teachers!" He held his hand in front of him before balling it into a tight fist, "And I've learned so much about my magic this past month that... it's..." He couldn't find the word for it.

"Astounding?" Turkey added, somehow eating with their mask on as Deku agreed.

"A-Astounding. I-I didn't think I'd progress so fast."

Chota shrugged, "My, I guess the saying is true. Time does indeed fly when you're having fun."

"Yeah..." Deku paused, turning to Small Might on his shoulder, the action figure staring back at him as he realized. "I guess it really has been a lot of fun." And for a moment he thought back to when he had first arrived, the sense of displacement and confusion he had felt... even fear. But now, after settling in, Deku was sure of it.

He was home. This was where he belonged.

Deku smiled at that thought, reaching out to the cup of tea and bringing it close.

A small being was floating inside the cup, arms resting on the side of the rim as it stared up at him. Deku blinked, his smile still maintained as his emotions were unsure how to react to such a thing.

Fujita seemed to notice Deku's look, speaking up. "Er, Deku? What's wro-"

The cup then exploded, sending shards everywhere as Deku reacted, putting an arm in front of his face as a few stray pieces of sharp ceramic dug into them. He then lowered it, two hooves in front of his vision. It was only until he looked up that he realized that the hooves belonged to a Devil, who was currently standing on top of the table, wearing a pope like attire and a cone-shaped hood, smoke mask wrapped around his mouth.

"Pope Devil!" Ebisu yelled out.

Deku stared on with shock, the Devil yelling in a booming voice. "Ta-da~! I made myself super small inside your cup! What'd you think of that prank, Nya~?"

Noi looked up, a smile on her face. "Duston! It's good to see you again!"

"And you too, Noi-chan! Nya~!" The Devil responded. Deku looked around, noticing the varying reactions. He definitely knew that Noi was somehow familiar with the immortal being, Shin as well judging by the fact that he too was smiling. Everyone else, however, was just as shocked as he was, with En's being the most surprising to Deku. The boss was leaning at the end of his seat, eyes wide.

"Ah, Duston. What a pleasant surprise...!" En announced, yet his tone sounded strained, or perhaps, worried. "What brings you here?"

"Nothing really. I just wanted to play a prank on your newest cleaner." The Devil then seemed to remember something, "Oh! And to also give him my business card, Nya~!"

"B-Business card?" Deku finally asked, Duston looking down at him.

"Yep!" Duston reached into his robe, producing a piece of bloodstained paper and handing it to Deku, the boy taking it as if in trance. "They're for great sorcerers. Keep onto it." Deku wasn't sure to feel flattered or terrified that he was in notice of such a being.

Shou spoke up, turning to En. "Wait, isn't Chidamura the one who gives out business cards?"

"Oh yeah, about that." Duston scratched the back of his hood. "We turned him into a baby."

"What?!" En exclaimed.

"Yeah. Remember that whole 'Hole' incident, Nya~? Well, he lost a bet, the bet being whether you guys would win or not against Hole. He's gonna be a human for the next 50,000 years." Duston shrugged, "Since he's gonna be gone for a while, the rest of the Devils can mess around and stuff, Nya~!"

Shin spoke up, "By the way, do you guys have any idea who Deku might be?"

Deku's eyes lit up, "O-Or where I came from?!" Shou had told him that Devil's were immortal and all-powerful, surely a talkative one like Duston would know about his past life?

Duston shook his head.

"Nope!"

Well, that possibly went out of the window as Deku hung his head down.

"And that's why it's so exciting!" Deku perked up at Duston's words, realizing that the Devil was gesturing to him. "Deku's a complete anomaly! And the fact that his memories are gone makes it so much more mysterious, Nya~!" Duston finished the last part with an ominous tone, "So the rest of the Devil's are watching..."

"T-Then is it possible to get my memories back?" Deku hopefully asked.

"Well..." Duston seemed to consider, "I cooouuuld use my powers to restore your memories but, where would be the fun in that, Nya~?"

"B-But-!"

"Are you arguing with me, Deku? I could literally throw you into hell right now." Duston cheerfully threatened, Deku realizing that everyone was giving him the look of worry. "But, since I'm a pretty chill Devil, I won't say such a thing and leave you empty-handed!" Duston then pointed a finger at Deku, green flames engulfing his upper torso for a split second before extinguishing.

He now wore a tanned bomber jacket over his t-shirt, Deku looking down at the new clothing article.

"I made it myself! How does it feel?"

"G-Good." Deku quickly surmised. Like his Devil mask, the jacket felt as if it had been made for him, form-fitting and not too hot for some odd reason.

"Perfect! I knew tortured souls and the skin of the damned was fine material, Nya~!"

"Wha-?" Noi put a hand over Deku's mouth before he could even speak.

"That's great! I'm sure Deku-kun appreciate it a lot, Duston!"

"Of course he does." Duston then gave a short wave. "Alright, I think I better head off now, gotta go back to mentoring two new trainees. Goodbye, Nya~!"

Everyone waved, Noi saying goodbye. "See ya, Duston!"

With that, the Devil disappeared into a thin black void, leaving not a single trace of his existence behind as Noi relinquished his hand from Deku's mouth. "Sorry about that Deku-kun, but I just had a feeling it was for your own good."

"T-That's alright." He then paused, "Would Duston really throw me into hell?"

Noi nodded, "Totally! I mean, he's a Devil. It's kind of hard to be moralistic when you're... immortal." Noi then seemed to recall, "But Duston and I are pretty close. He was my mentor when I was doing the Devil Exam, and he's helped me and Shin in the past."

"Yeah. I pretty much owe him my life." Shin agreed. "But anyhow, I guess you hit another milestone. Getting the attention of Devils is no easy feat. And it's a big deal that you got a business card from one."

Deku nodded, looking down at the blood-stained paper as Fujita spoke up. "Damn! Now I'm _really _jealous! Not only did you get your mask made by a Devil, but you got a business card and jacket too!"

Ebisu turned her head to him, "Ha ha! Git gud Fujita!"

Chota looked at Deku. "Speaking of which, aren't you going to take off that jacket, Deku-kun? I mean, from the sounds of Duston's words, it's probably cursed..."

Deku paused, him and Small Might looking down at the bomber jacket before looking back up. "U-Um... I-I was but..." Deku gently patted it, taking note of the smooth textures.

The skin of the damned felt surprisingly comfy on the skin.

"It actually feels really comfortable."

* * *

"You might wanna clean yourself up." Shin threw Deku a towel, the boy wiping the blood off his face with it as he sat on a bench. Small Might grabbed the rims of the cloth, reserving a bit of it to clean himself off as well. "We're going somewhere."

Deku's eyes lit up, "Where to?"

"Hole." Shin answered, "A good friend of ours is having his birthday at his house."

"Oh, wow." Deku tilted his head, "Is he a human?"

Shin nodded, "He is. But I've known him for a long time. In fact, he's pretty much the reason I'm probably alive and a sorcerer today."

Deku opened his mouth behind his mask to ask before Noi came back, bringing two water bottles. "By the way, Deku. Are you going to clean that jacket? It looks really dirty."

He shook his head, a little too fast. "U-Um, I can't do that."

"Noi's right. It smells. Go clean it." Shin agreed.

"No!" Deku yelled, clinging onto his jacket. "I-I can't do that! It's mine! It's my...-" Deku paused, his tone turning into a disturbing raspiness. "-Precciousss..."

Shin and Noi looked at each other before looking back at Deku, even Small Might stared from where he sat. "Okay. That jacket is definitely cursed." Shin quickly summarized before putting his hand out. "Give it here, Deku. We'll get Chota to dispel it and then throw it in the washer."

"No... NO, NO-" The eyes behind his mask grew crazed, body twitching. "-YOU WILL GET CLEANED!"

He lunged forward, not even bothering to grab Small Might. Noi simply raised her arm before bringing her fist down on Deku's head, smashing him downward as Deku's face became one with the floor. A few seconds passed, Shin tapping his sneaker against the side of Deku's head. "You still alive, Deku?"

There was a small twitch of confirmation, Noi kneeling down as to pull the jacket off. "Sheesh, it really does smell a lot."

* * *

"Sorry, I don't know what got into me." Deku spoke, scratching the back of his mask, Small Might sitting back on his shoulder. "It was like I couldn't bear the thought of separating with that jacket..."

"That's alright. Just be glad that Duston didn't curse that jacket with something worse..." Shin replied. "On a side note, you'll be able to wear it again when you get back. Cleaned and uncursed by Chota, obviously."

Noi giggled, patting Deku on the back. "My, my... at least now you know how much of a prankster Duston can be."

Deku nodded, "Y-Yeah."

Shin created a Door using his Smoke, the Door depicting a bloody heart. The magical feat still astounded Deku to no end, and there were times before when he had attempted reopen his own Door, but to no avail. Shin opened it, walking through as Deku and Noi followed, their surroundings changing entirely from that of an ornate hallway, to a wooden interior.

"_So this is Hole? Or at least, a building in Hole._" Deku thought, looking around to notice the paper walls and sliding doors. "_But this design... why does it look so familiar...?_"

"Doc!" Shin called, "You home?"

A muffled voice called out in the next room, "Shin? Is that you?"

"Yeah. I hear you, are you-" Shin slid open the door, only to be met with an empty and dilapidated room, not a single soul in sight. "Huh..."

"I'm in the next room!" The voice called out, Shin closing the sliding door as Deku and Noi looked around.

"What next room?"

The same exact sliding door opened again, revealing a tan-skinned young man, the room behind him no longer dilapidated but clean and fully furnished. "Right here."

Deku had to rub his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things, even Shin look surprised and confused. "Wha- How-?"

"Haha! Sorry, it must be all the Smoke distortions in my mansion. I'm still doing a bit of spring cleaning." The young man then shrugged, "Anyhow, long time no see you two! How's it been?"

"Good." Shin simply answered, the young man looking past the Cleaner and noticing Deku.

"Oh, and who's this?"

Noi spoke up, pointing down whilst leaning over Deku. "Deku, he's a new Cleaner that my cousin hired!"

"Ah, I see." The doctor extended a tattooed hand, "Nice to meet you, Deku. Name's Kasukabe."

Deku took it, "I-It's nice to meet you too, Kasukabe-san." He greeted, Kasukabe smiling before turning around.

"Here, come inside. Everyone else is in the dining room." The first thing Deku had noticed was the other figure in the room.

Or more precisely, the gigantic overgrown cockroach wearing a pair of ripped sneakers.

Deku blinked behind his mask, staring at the creatures as it stared back with its big blackhead. It then tilted said head, showing off a pair of exposed human teeth.

"**Squee?**"

"That's, Jonson." Kasukabe spoke out, already answering Deku's unasked question. "He looks intimidating, but he's really friendly. Right, Jonson?"

As if to emphasize that point, Jonson nodded, flaring his insectile pincers in the air. "**Squee****!**"

Shin gave a nod of acknowledgment.

"Long time no see Jonson."

Kasukabe patted a nearby desk. "Just leave your shoes next to the doorway and masks on the table." The trio obliged, Deku taking off his shoes and then his mask, placing them on a nearby medical table. Once they were done, they continued following the doctor, past rooms and rooms of scientific experiments as Jonson trailed behind them.

Deku peered at a few transparent tubes, each filled with a dead body, little sticky notes placed on the glass detailing the victim. "U-Um, excuse me, Kasukabe. But do you research magic?"

"Yep! Glad you noticed." Kasukabe replied with a hint of enthusiasm. The doctor then turned his head, "Speaking of which, what's your magic Deku?"

"I-It's a curse type." Deku explained, "I can control broken bones."

"Ah, a curse type! Those are really rare. So you probably don't produce Smoke naturally, right?"

Deku nodded, a little surprised at the man's understanding nature as he gestured to Small Might who was still sitting on his shoulder. "Yeah. And in order to use my ability, Small Might needs to be on my person."

"Huh, that explains the living action figure." Kasukabe inspected, hand resting on his chin. "Interesting. What about your death ability?"

He shook his head, "N-Not sure yet. I haven't really died yet."

"Probably for the best." Kasukabe said with a shrug.

"But even so!" Deku held onto his wrist as he balled his hand into a fist. "I-I'm still trying to learn all I can about what I can do with my current magic."

Kasukabe paused before he nodded, smiling. "You'll get far with that mindset, and that's a fact.

"Thank you, Kasukabe-san." Deku said with a smile. Kasukabe wasn't a sorcerer at all... yet his study and commitment on the subject of magic were incredible, judging by all the research strewn around. It almost felt nostalgic in someway, Deku unsure why.

Noi commented, "My, you two seem to be getting along."

"**Shocking!**" Jonson screeched, startling Deku. Apparently, the cockroach could speak a word as well... who knew?

They finally arrived at a set of sliding doors, Jonson walking up front to open them. As they walked inside, Deku giving a short bow to the cockroach. "Thank you, Jonson."

"**Squee!**"

Deku turned away from the cockroach, entering the nice room. The windows to the outside showed a shadowy garden, the interior a traditional-

He briefly clutched his head, a brief pain surfacing before ebbing away. This design looked super familiar, but how so? Perhaps some form of cultural significance he was used to? He shook his head before looking around, now noticing the next cast of strange characters.

The most notable one being a lizard-headed man eating a mouthful of Gyoza.

"Delicious!" The man yelled in an almost overexaggerated manner.

"Kaiman! Those are for the other guests! You can't just eat all of them!" A blonde-haired girl scolded, sitting on the floor next to him.

The lizard headed man named Kaiman turned his maw, crosses around his eyes. "I couldn't help it! I felt like I was going to starve to death!"

"Jeez. And it's only been 15 minutes since we got here." A bald man commented, grid marks on his face as he sat next to the both of them, a cigarette nestled in his hand. "You really should see someone about this."

The last person sitting on the table noticed their entrance, sunken eyes widening as he turned to the sitting group. "Uh, guys?"

"What is it 13-?" The bald man asked before noticing as well, "Oh! Shin, Noi! You actually came!"

"Yo, Vaux." Shin simply greeted, "How's the hospital coming along?"

"Great, no thanks to you two." Vaux responded, "Fully repaired. Just that we've had to shift from magic victims to... well, normal victims." He then shrugged, "But I've adapted."

"What about you Lizard man? No evil thoughts resurfacing?"

"Nope." Kaiman simply responded, Deku tilting his head at that question before the girl next to Kaiman noticed the young magic-user.

"Hey, I don't think I've seen you before? What's your name?"

Suddenly, all eyes in the room were on Deku. There was a short pause before he finally mustered the nerve, speaking up for himself. "H-Hi. My name is Deku. I'm En's new Cleaner." He then bowed his head. "It is a pleasure to meet you all."

The girl smiled, bowing from where she sat. "Likewise to you, Deku. I'm Nikaido, and the one who's stealing all the food is Kaiman."

"What?! I'm not stealing! I'm...-" Kaiman then shoved the plate of Gyoza's away, "-I was just testing them to make sure they were good to eat."

"Really...?" Nikaido sarcastically asked, one of her eyebrows raised. "You're unbelievable, you know that?"

Shin and Noi wordlessly sat down, Deku following suit. Admittedly, he felt completely out of place, like a newcomer sitting at a table of veterans. There was a distinct possibility that these were the 'friends' Shin had mentioned that helped or at least played a role in taking down Hole.

But at least he knew he was welcome among them.

"I've been meaning to ask, how is everything in the magic-user world?" Kasukabe asked as he sat.

"A little deserted, but otherwise everything's fine." Shin answered.

Noi pointed at a bottle on the table, "Ooh, is that Sake?"

Sake. Deku blinked, recalling that was an alcoholic drink that adults drank... how did he know that again? He pressed a hand against his forehead, Kasukabe laughing. "Help yourself! It's my 66th birthday after all!"

Deku briefly ignored his head pain, almost stuttering. By all means, Kasukabe was definitely _not _66, if anything, he didn't even appear to be much older than Deku. "Wha-!? You're 66?!"

Kasukabe smiled, "Yep. Magic accident while I was doing some testing. So I guess you can say I'm a magic victim." He then chuckled, "An extremely lucky magic victim at that."

"**Shocking!**" Jonson emphasized, already voicing Deku's thoughts.

"By the way,-" 13 asked, pointing at Small Might as the action figure, "What the hell's up with the doll? I think I saw it move just now."

Kaiman seemed to notice too, "Yeah,-" Small Might then twisted his head, now staring at the lizard headed man. "-EEK! It's a possessed doll!" Kaiman hid behind Nikaidou, both hands resting on her shoulder as he peered over her, an annoyed look on the girl's face. "I told you ghosts are real!"

"He's not a doll... He's an action figure..." Deku murmured under his breath before speaking up. "And he's not possessed." Deku then paused, "Or at least I don't think Small Might is. I-It's apart of my magic. I'm a curse user, you see."

Nikaido seemed to understand, brushing away Kaiman's hands. "Oh, just like Risu then."

"Wait, wasn't he training with Asu to become a Devil or somethin'?" Kaiman asked, turning to her.

Deku wasn't sure who Risu was, but the mention of him training to become a Devil... didn't Duston mention mentoring two new trainees? It probably wasn't a coincidence, knowing how small the world of magic users had become...

Jonson briefly left the room before coming back, hauling a tray full of food before placing bowls of delicacies on the table. Kasukabe smiled, putting his hands together as Jonson sat down next to him, "Alright everyone! We have chicken curry with rice, a good assortment of sushi-" He then pointed at the last bowl, "-and some pork katsudon."

"Ooooh! That looks super good! Right, Senpai?" Noi asked.

"Hm." Shin simply nodded, picking up a pair of chopsticks.

"Let's eat!" Everyone clapped their hands together before digging in. Deku looked down at his bowl, his hunger reminding him that he had not eaten after today's training. Yet Deku took pause at the pork katsudon. He stared at it, blankly holding his chopsticks as a brief thought crossed his mind.

"_Pork katsudon was my favorite._"

Deku put down the chopsticks, his head now throbbing as he gritted his teeth. Shin immediately took notice, looking up from his bowl of rice. "You okay there, Deku?"

Vaux looked up as well, "Uh, you need an aspirin or something?"

"I-I'm fine." He lied before standing up, turning to Kasukabe. "I-Is it okay if I go use the bathroom."

The young man had a concerned look on his face. "Go ahead. It's right outside the door to the left.

Deku followed the instructions, quickly exiting the room.

* * *

*SPLASH*

Deku put some water on his face as he panted, looking up at the mirror. By this point, in order to fit his mask on better, he had shaved the mess of his fluffy green hair into a comfy undercut, the top still sporting the original messy look. He splashed another wave of water before sighing, looking down at the sink and watching the liquid drain out. "_What is happening to me?_" He thought.

He heard a knock on the bathroom door, instantly recognizing the muffled voice. "Deku? Are you in here?"

"_Noi?_" He then opened the door, realizing that Shin and Noi were waiting outside.

Shin stepped forward, "We're going back to En's mansion. You ready?"

"Wha- already?" Deku asked, "Weren't we going to eat dinner here?"

Noi held up a big bag, "No need! Kasukabe-kun let us pack some of the food for later."

Deku blinked, slowly beginning to realize as he hung his head down. Shin and Noi were leaving because of his own apparent discomfort. "I'm sorry... about having you guys cut things short with your friends..."

A sympathetic look grew on Shin's face, the man straightening his glasses. "It's alright. We really weren't planning to stay for dinner anyway." He then gestured behind him, "Anyhow, these two wanted to talk to you before we left."

"Who-?" Deku asked before noticing Nikaido and Kaiman appear from behind Shin.

"Shin and Noi told us a bit about your situation." The girl spoke, "And we figured that your case is-"

"Just like mine!" Kaiman finished as he stepped forward, pointing a gloved finger directly into Deku's chest. "You woke up not remembering anything about your past life, right?"

Deku slowly nodded.

"Well, er, that's kinda how I started out too... just that-" Kaiman then pointed at his own head, "-my head was turned into a lizard."

"Oh." Deku responded, unsure of what to gleam from that as Kaiman continued.

"But take it from me, I've found out the truth about myself, and it'll probably be no different for you." Kaiman closed his eyes, maw contorted into a cheerful smile. "And most importantly, you got friends who have your back!"

He took in Kaiman's words, thinking for a moment and realizing how lucky he was. Not only was the En family responsible for saving his life, but they were there for him too... every step of the way. He looked back up at the lizard headed man, wanting to ask something out of curiosity. "And what was your truth, Kaiman-san?"

Kaiman seemed to think for a moment, scratching the back of his spiky head. "Errr, it was kinda complicated, but basically, as it turns out,-"

The lizard headed man finished.

"-I was the boss of the Crosseyes."

Deku's eyes widened, his mouth opening in shock. "W-W-WHAT!?"

All those discarded heads... the post-apocalyptic population of the magic-user world... that was from the lizard headed man standing right in front of him? How was this even possible? Kaiman noticed Deku's reaction, the lizard man opening his maw. "Hold on! Lemme explain! I was also a bunch of other people as well!"

Shin nodded to confirm, "Yeah. And as of now, Lizard man here is no longer the boss. That man is dead, in fact-" Shin turned his head to Kaiman, "-I gave you an opening to finish him with the Kitchen knife, right?"

Kaiman nodded, "Yep!"

Noi cupped her chin, "Huh, kinda brings a new meaning to killing yourself."

"You said it." Nikaido agreed.

Deku watched the exchange, realizing that it would probably be best to leave it at that. Hearing the full story would probably mean that they'd be here all night. Shin created a Door, turning to Noi and Deku. "Alright, you ready?"

"Wait, before I go-!" Deku turned toward the sliding door of the party room. He opened it, pausing upon noticing that it lead to a dusty and abandoned room instead.

"Try closing and reopening. That usually works." Nikaido called out.

Deku did just that, finally met with the party room as the remaining occupants turned their heads to him. "Er-" He then straightened himself, bowing his head to Kasukabe. "Thank you, Kasukabe-san... for having me over."

"Ah, don't mention it. It's always a pleasure to talk with someone who has a great interest in magic." Kasukabe said with a smile, "Feel free to visit anytime. And if you do end up dying, tell me all about it."

In any other normal circumstance, that last quote would have come out wrong. But the way Kasukabe had said it... Deku couldn't help but simply smile back, giving a nod. "Will do." He then turned to the other three occupants, "And it was nice meeting you. Vaux, 13... and Jonson."

"**Shocking!**" The cockroach simply responded, probably his way of saying 'bye' as Vaux took the cigarette out of his mouth.

"Good luck on finding your memories, Kid."

13 nodded as well, his smile showing off sharp teeth. "Yeah. You're probably gonna need it."

"Thanks." Deku responded, giving one last wave before closing the sliding door. He then rejoined the group, now just about ready to leave.

Kaiman rushed forward as if he had just remembered something. "Wait! Before ya go!" Kaiman hesitantly lifted a box that he had been carrying, "I... wanted you to have these. It's full of Gyoza's I made. I was gonna eat them tonight but...-" Kaiman then held it out for Deku, "I-I wanted you to have them, since, y'know..." The lizard man appeared to be on the verge of crying, "Just promise me... you'll take good care of them. Okay?"

He blinked at the lunch box, wondering if he was being handed a puppy rather then a box of food, "Um-" He then bowed his head, "I-I will. I promise. Thank you, Kaiman-san."

"Kaiman..." Nikaido seemed both surprised yet happy, "Alright, you guys better get going before Kaiman changes his mind."

The Cleaners entered Shin's Door, turning around to face the two one last time. "Bye!" Noi waved, Deku as well, Shin standing with one hand in his pocket and the other on the Door frame.

"See ya!" Kaiman called back, waving his entire arm in an exaggerated manner, Nikaido smiling as she waved her own farewells. Shin finally closed the Door, the magic portal dissipating back into black Smoke.

"Fun party." Shin simply commented, the two other Cleaners nodding.

Noi turned to Deku, looking at the metal box. "Well, since we haven't eaten anything yet, why don't we try out some of those Gyozas! They looked pretty good before Lizardman ate them all."

Deku nodded, opening the metal lunchbox, a surge of trapped steam escaping. Shin handing the two of them chopsticks. "You two should probably eat quickly. En doesn't like it when people eat in the hallways."

"Eh, who cares." Noi responded, her mouth-watering as she picked up a piece. "These look too good!"

The green-haired boy did the same, picking up his own respective piece and biting into it. A few moments passed, Deku savoring the taste. And it really was delicious... the meat and vegetable fillings cooked to perfection.

"D-Delicious!" Noi yelled.

Deku nodded in agreement, "Yeah, it really is. It kind of reminds me of the ones they have at-" He then paused.

Reminded him of what?

Where was it?

So close, what was he reminded of?

If his head had hurt before, now it was threatening to explode, Deku letting out a meek groan as he grabbed his forehead and dropped his chopsticks. Shin immediately noticed, his eyes wide behind his glasses.

"Deku, is everything alright?"

"N-No-" He admitted through pained breaths, "M-My head, it feels like it's gonna-!"

And then he screamed, eyes almost bulging from their sockets as the fingers on his hand exploded, a gigantic torrent of uncontrolled Smoke being released from the broken tips as Noi yelled. "Deku!"

A single memory found it's way back.

Tatooin Station.

And as quickly as it had begun, the Smoke settled, slowly dissipating to reveal a familiar Door, with a scribbled out decorative tag in front of it.

Deku's Door.

He immediately passed out, a pool of blood growing from his destroyed hand as Noi and Shin rushed to his side.

* * *

**What we learned from the third chapter:**

**1\. Deku can fly! (Sorta)**

**2\. Devils are pranksters, especially Duston. **

**3\. Kasukabe's house is weird.**

**And what you will learn from the fourth chapter... That's still a mystery.**

**That is... Welcome to Chaos!**

* * *

**Unfortunately, I think I'll have to end it on a cliff hanger here and begin writing the next chapter. Sorry it took a while, with this whole pandemic going on. I actually had this sitting at around 5000 words for a while until I finally garnered the creativity to finish it.**

**Sir Knight : My potions are too strong for you traveler! (was waiting for someone to pick up on the reference.)**

**mezentsevmichael : Control of broken bones. Deku's 'curse magic' is that his Smoke develops on fractured bones, which in turn allows him to manipulate them. (Even allowing flight if a part of his body is broken... ouch)**


	4. Invisible shenanigans in a Quirky world

En stared at the brown Door, scribbled placard hanging from the front as he gently petted Kikurage.

And it wasn't just him.

Shin and Shou stood beside him, bandages hiding whatever the latter may have been thinking as the former simply held his arms crossed. "So this is Deku's Door..." En commented.

"Yeah." Shin confirmed, "Noi already healed him, but he's still unconscious. So it's kinda surprising to see that it's still here."

"..." En was slightly annoyed, "He could have at least blown up his hand and placed his Door elsewhere... it's blocking the entire hallway."

Shin simply shrugged, Shou walking forward to get a closer look. He squeezed his lithe body between the door and hallway, getting a look behind it before squeezing back to check out the front.

"Hey, uh... the Smoke's not dissipating." Shou then turned to Shin, "How long has it been since Deku got knocked out?"

"About 5 minutes ago." Shin answered.

Shou paused for a moment before making a decision. "I think I'm gonna go check out where it leads to."

En blinked, Shin turning to his boss. "You want me to go with him, En?"

The powerful magic user considered for a moment. On one hand, Shin and Noi had apparently been to where Deku had arrived from, a world that was neither the Magic-User world or Hole... but at the same time, with so many unknown variables, would it really be safe to allow Shou to scout out whatever was on the other side?

He finally made a decision that would put nobody at risk, silently sitting down on a decorative hallway chair.

"No need."

Shin and Shou took a step back in surprise, as mushrooms began to grow on En's face, a gigantic figure rising from the ground in front of him.

"I'll do it myself."

* * *

The Mushroom Doll was En's trump card.

Not only were the giant fungal golems useful for maintaining the mansion, which they had been doing for the past few months, but the one that En was currently and personally controlling would give him a perfect insight on the other side of Deku's Door, almost as if he himself was there.

His two subordinates watched as the doll opened the Door, stooping its cap low to walkthrough before closing the Door on the way out. He looked it up and down, checking to see if it was dissipating, only to find it still there.

"_It's just as Shou said. Deku's Door is showing no signs of dissipating. Strange..._" En then turned around, checking out the alleyway he had found himself in. "_And this area..._" Lifting an arm, the mushroom golem's limb stretched forth, grasping onto the side of the building and bringing him upward. Upon reaching the rooftop, he stared over the vibrant city before him. The sun beginning to set as neon lights awoken, the headlights of an MRT pulling into a nearby station... noticeably designated as Tatooine station.

"_As Shin said too... a world that is neither Hole, Hell, nor the Sorcerer World. __Interesting... very interesting._" He then caught sight of something. "_Hm?_" En peered down, noticing the crowds roving down the sidewalks. He had expected people of course, if there was a city, there was a population, yet what En did not expect...

Was for that entire population to look like magic victims.

En raised an eye, mushroom golem mimicking his action as he stared down at the walking civilians, their mutations and abnormalities ranging. So... did that mean it was a little bit like Hole, exempting the desolate architecture and the feeling of collapsed society? Just what secrets and lore did this world hold?

The gears began to churn within En's head, ideas popping up left and right. Where others only saw possibility, En saw attainability, a new canvas just waiting to be drawn upon. The sorcerer world was empty, but this, new and exciting world, could be a viable alternative.

He would need more info.

En released control from the mushroom golem, finding himself back in his mansion and sitting within his seat, face no longer covered in fungi. Shin had left to absolve other matters and Shou was the first to take notice of his return, "So what'd you see En? Was it safe?"

The boss nodded, "Yes." He then rose from the seat. "Shou, I have an important task for you." Shou nodded, En grabbing a random mushroom from the wall and tossing it, opening his mask to spit smoke at it. His mastery was put on display, the fungi turning into an advanced looking camera as Shou caught it. "I want you to go through Deku's door and find out as much as you can about the world on the other side. History, culture, religion, everything. Once you have done so, return to the Sorcerer World. I'm going to start renovating this hallway."

"You got it En." Shou obeyed, turning invisible as Deku's Door silently opened and closed, indicating that Shou had left. En turned around, walking the opposite direction, petting Kikurage.

He had plans... great, great plans.

* * *

_"You should probably give it up."_

_The news shocked Deku to the core, causing him to drop Small Might to the floor._

_How the hell was he going to recover from this?_

* * *

Deku slowly awoke, groggy eyes struggling to stay open before finally adjusting, the boy slowly sitting up.

Small Might sat atop the covers, head-turning to him as Deku spoke up. "Small Might...? He then realized that he was back in his room, lying on his bed, still in his shirt and cargo pants. He put a hand against his forehead. "_What was I dreaming about again? I can't remember..._" Deku pulled off the covers, inspecting his now healed hand as he flexed the fingers. "_Noi must have fixed it._"

The green-haired boy sat off his bed, bare feet touching the floor as Small Might climbed down to follow. He noticed something on his drawer, his mask and bomber jacket laid atop, both cleaned (and uncursed for the latter case) as Deku smiled, slipping on the bomber jacket and mask.

He then walked to the doorway, reaching out for it.

Only for it to open right into his face.

His head whipped back, Deku falling to the floor as Noi and Chota entered, the former's eyes widening. "Deku, are you alright?!"

Deku clutched his now bruised nose, nodding. "Y-Yeah." He then noticed Chota and Noi carrying a few books. "What's going on?"

Chota stepped forward, bare teeth visible behind his bird-like mask. "You were asleep for two days. So Noi-chan and I were digging up books to find out what the problem might've been." He then put the books down, putting his hands together. "But it looks like you're finally awake! Thank Satan!"

"Two days?!" Deku exclaimed, "I've been asleep for two days!?" As if to confirm this point, his stomach grumbled loudly and his mouth felt dry, his body now realizing its needs.

Noi gestured behind her, "Uh, you wanna get something to eat? Turkey is preparing food but-" Deku grabbed Small Might and ran past the two sorcerer's, already on his way as Noi called out. "Wait, hold on Deku! You might not wanna go that way! There's a-!"

Deku turned his head, realizing the doors to the dining hall were shut closed. "Huh? What's going on?"

Noi caught up with him, "Yeah, I was gonna tell you. My cousin's having this big meeting with the Devils."

"For what?" Deku asked before the doors suddenly opened.

"Ah, if it isn't the boy of the hour, Nyah!" They turned to see none other than Duston himself, an entire entourage of Devils behind him. "How's it goin' Deku? How'd ya like the coat?"

"_Boy of the hour?_" Deku thought before answering Duston's question. "Um, g-good. I got... really attached to it for a while."

"Of course, I put a curse on it after all."

Deku scratched the back of his mask as Noi spoke up. "So what'd my cousin talk about Duston? Anything interesting?"

The devil nodded, "Yep! But I'm not gonna spoil it. It's pretty crazy stuff, even Moroku was shocked!" Duston gestured to a trench coat wearing Devil standing next to him, the being absolutely silent before slowly nodding. "... I mean, he doesn't look shocked but- Ah, you get the idea. See you guys later!" Duston wings then flapped, the rest of the Devil's following suit as they flew off, smashing right through the window and disappearing outside.

En casually walked out of the room, smoking from a pipe as he stared at the shattered window. He then turned his attention to Noi and Deku, but more specifically on the latter. "I see you are finally awake, Deku."

Deku nodded, "Y-Yeah."

The powerful sorcerer seemed to regard him for a moment before turning his head to Noi.

"Gather everyone to the dining hall. It's about time I tell what I have planned."

* * *

Deku found himself awkwardly seated next to the head of the table as Shou sat across from him, Small Might sitting atop the table and idly playing with a fork.

Turkey came out shortly with the food, sitting down, the sorcerer family now all together. Everyone was silent, even Ebisu, as they awaited for the news to be shared.

En calmly sipped from a glass of wine before finally speaking up, his voice somber and smooth. "Now that we're all gathered here, it's about time I talk about the door in the hallway." En slowly stood up from his seat, petting Kikurage in his arms. "I believe it's no secret that Deku's door leads back to his world."

"Really?!" Deku exclaimed, sitting up. "What's it like? Are there humans or magic users? How many-"

The boss calmly raised a finger, "Let me finish."

Deku blinked, admittedly embarrassed for getting too giddy.

"As Shin's account suggested, it truly is a world that is truly unknown. So that is why I sent Shou a few days ago to gather intel." En then turned his head to the elite sorcerer. "If you will, Shou."

The entire table turned to Shou, the bandaged sorcerer standing up. He then gestured to one of the mushroom dolls, the fungal golem planting what appeared to be a projector atop the center of the table before turning it on. A picture of a building came up, Deku somehow instantly recognizing it.

Tatooin Station.

"That's-!"

"Click to add text." Ebisu said, attention focused on the poorly placed text box below the image.

"Ah,-" Shou scratched the back of his mask in embarrassment. "The Devil's also noticed my poor editing. I have to remember to remove out. But anyhow-" Shou produced his wand, using it as a pointer. "-this is the location of Deku's Door. It's in an alleyway by a train station."

"Tatooin Station..." Deku murmured, Shin perking up.

"Sound familiar, Deku?"

Deku nodded, "Yeah. It popped into my head before I passed out. Is that how Doors work?"

Chota spoke up, "Not exactly. It takes a lot of Smoke to create a Door, and you need to visualize or have some familiarity with the location as well or you might end up somewhere else... or worse." He then placed a finger against his mask's beak.

"Yes, yes." En dismissed the ardent sorcerer, "Back to the topic please."

The slide changed, showing an entire view behind the station, a sprawling modern city that looked even more advanced than the now desolate cities of the Sorcerer World. Deku blinked as he stared at the picture, "_Is this really where I came from?_"

Shou pointed a wand, speaking up. "And this is the metropolis around Tatooin Station. Musutafu, one of the many cities on an island nation called Japan." Shou turned to face everyone, "The sheer scale of this world... it's much bigger than both Hole and the Sorcerer World. But that's not even the most astounding part about it. That prize goes to the inhabitants." Shou continued the slide, showing what appeared to be a magic-user victim, a cactus serving as his head. "The people of this world are evolved humans with abilities known as Quirks. Similar to magic, they come in three different flavors. Mutant,-" Shou gestured to the cactus head, changing the slide. "-Emitter,-" The picture changed, showing a girl shoot lightning from her fingers. "-And lastly, Transformation." A poor quality gif of a man turning into a giant beast humanoid was on display.

"Ooh, Senpai! Check it out!" Noi exclaimed, excited at the last one. "That last one looks pretty tough."

"Hm. It's possible." Shin brushed off.

Fujita spoke up, "So er, these Quirk humans... are they equals to our magic?"

Shou turned his head, "Depends on how you see it, Fujita. I mean, there's some ridiculously powerful Quirks in that world, much like how there's ridiculously powerful magic in ours. But I think we could probably take most of 'em." Shou then changed the slide, "Moving on now, the third important difference of this world is that-"

The slide was confusing to say the least, the left showing a man in an orderly blue uniform and the right showing another man wearing a colorful jumpsuit, using some Quirk that allowed his hands to emit force.

"-they have actual law enforcement. Split between a constituted body called the police and licensed individuals who are allowed to use their Quirks called 'pro-heroes'. And most surprising of all, the one who is considered number 1 amongst the pro heroes and considered to have the strongest Quirk is..."

A flexing figure who looked remarkably like a life-sized version of Small Might.

"This guy! All Might!"

The slide changed, showing a very familiar flexing figure. Deku's eyes widened, turning to face Small Might as the action figure stared at the slide. Turkey spoke up, somehow eating with her mask on. "My, he looks like your doll, Deku. Did you worship him before losing your memory?"

"I-I'm not sure. Possibly?" Deku asked, hooking a hand beneath his cheek, slowly picking up Small Might from the table. He supposed the name made even more sense now, "But then what is his Quirk even? What makes him so powerful?"

"I didn't have enough time to figure, and there's no info regarding it either because he's never said anything. They just know he's super powerful. I mean-" A video played, showing All Might throw a punch, gusts of wind buffeting out. "His punches can literally create air pressure!"

"Power!" Ebisu yelled, Noi pondering.

"So I guess that makes him the ruler of Japan or something?"

"Not really. He's more of a celebrity." Shou explained, "That job goes to the politicians and such."

"Wha-...?" Noi's mask scrunched, "So this guy is literally the most powerful human in the world, but not once did he decide to just take over everything?" She grunted, shrugging. "What a weirdo."

In a rare display of solidarity with his cousin, En also nodded. "I agree..."

Shou raised a finger, "But as I said, this world is incredibly different from ours. Their heroes aren't like the ones we have in fiction, like Zapdevil, who goes around electrocuting sorcerers. Instead, they work to help the civilian population, and maintain law and order."

Shin crossed his arms, "And that's what the Hole militia claimed they did, when they were nothing but glorified thugs." His eyes narrowed behind his heart mask. "I'll have to see that myself to believe it."

Deku's head had millions of questions he wanted to ask, but somehow, he was able to decide on one. "W-Wait! Shou-san, En-sama!" Both sorcerers as Deku rose from his seat, holding Small Might tightly as he leaned against the table, his smiling mask betraying his anxious gaze. "Why tell us all this?"

Everyone besides the two seemed to consider Deku's words, turning to face En and Shou. The latter turned to the former, En simply pushing away his chair and standing up, holding Kikurage in his arms.

"It's simple really. The En family shall move to this world."

A pause.

And then a giant uproar.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?"

* * *

"But En! What about the mansion!?"

"And the Sorcerer World, En-san?!"

"LOUD NOISES!"

"SILENCE!" En exclaimed, his anger displayed as a bit of Smoke puffed from the edges of his mask. Deku flinched, grabbing Small Might off the table as the posh wood suddenly sprouted mushrooms. That worked, everyone quiet as En adjusted his mask. "I... understand that this news comes as a shock, but my reasoning is quite simple." He carefully placed Kikurage down on the floor, holding a wrist behind his back as he walked up to an extravagant window. "Our work is done in the sorcerer world. My mushroom dolls can easily manage the mansion and keep the sorcerers that are left in check. This new world, however... the Quirk world...-" En turned around, "-it's clear that fate has revealed a new horizon for me to conquer."

"But where do we even start, En-san?" Fujita asked, "If we move to this world, aren't we hitting the reset button on everything you've accomplished?"

"Everything I've accomplished is under repair." En walked back up to the table, "And it will be even more satisfying to regain it all here, to stake a claim in this new society." He turned to Shou, "Tell them the plan."

Shou nodded, "I did some scouting, and there's this building for sale, close to the location of Deku's Door. It's an old apartment, with an abandoned shop on the ground level. We're gonna make it our new base of operations."

"But what about money? If this is a whole different world then-?" Deku asked.

"Simple. We'll make our cash through completely reasonable and illegal means." En produced a wad of strange-looking cash atop the table. "Money is called Yen in Japan. This was how much Shou was able to already pickpocket as a sample."

Deku slowly nodded, En putting the stack atop the table. Shou continued, "But we won't even need cash. This land is owned by a real estate broker who's been giving illegal loans to those who have moved in before. In other words, he's what you'd call a 'loan shark'."

Shin and Noi leaned forward in their seats, "Wait, so you're saying-"

"We're going to 'convince' the owner to give the land over to us, and possibly get a little cash bonus from his office."

Shou turned off the slide.

"Any questions?"

The table was silent, En standing up as he spoke. "The acquirement will be a small mission, requiring two sorcerers with a subtle touch."

"In other words-" Shin spoke up, "-not Noi and I."

En nodded.

And then he turned to the closest sorcerer. "Which is why you will be going with Shou, Deku."

"... Eh?"

* * *

Deku nervously stood in front of his own Door, noticing the scribbled out nametag atop the All Might styled hanger.

His mask was off, and Small Might was put in a side bag alongside his bomber jacket, all for the sake of 'blending in'. Looking back up, he realized that Shou was by his side, the sorcerer staring at the door as well, now wearing a crooked hoodie and face mask that concealed his features, a singular eye peeking out. He wore a pair of long pants rather than his shorts and armored greaves, ridiculous boots replaced with sneakers. "You nervous, Deku?"

"K-Kinda." He admitted, "But I still don't understand why En picked me for this important mission. My magic only works on broken bones, and that is... not very subtle."

"That might be true." Shou then shrugged, "But who knows? You might have a knack for assassination like me."

Deku slowly nodded, "Alright." Deku looked up, "Hey, Shou-san?"

"Yeah?"

"Is this... really my world?" Deku asked, staring at his door. "It still feels so surreal that I'm returning to it."

"While I don't know what to say, I can give you some assurance. Once we acquire this place, you guys will have plenty of time to get used to it." Shou then gave a thumbs up, "Trust me on this." Deku nodded again, the elite turning back towards the door. "Let's get going! Deku, if you would do the honors? It is your Door after all."

"R-Right!" Deku agreed, walking up to it and turning the nob. Deku breathed in, holding his breath.

This was it, he was coming home, if that even counted.

Deku opened the Door, showing an alleyway on the other side. He walked through, keeping it open for Shou as he took a moment to look around. If there was anything significant, Deku so far could not recognize it.

"Alright, this way." Shou said, walking past Deku.

He followed the hooded sorcerer out of the alleyway, Deku shielding his eyes from the bright sun as the stir of commotion met his ears. He took in his surroundings, standing atop the clean sidewalk, cars driving on the street and Quirked humans walked past him, their oddities ranging. Turning to the station, he noticed the familiar smell of something sizzling.

A gyoza stand, which was conveniently placed in front of Tatooine station.

"_I guess I must have been thinking of this place when I summoned my Door._"

Shou tapped his shoulder, bringing Deku back to reality.

"Ah, sorry." Deku followed, their so-called 'disguises' working as nobody seemed to stare or take notice of the pair of sorcerers. Conveniently, this gave Deku time to inspect every Quirked human that passed them, taking note of their peculiarities.

Finally, after passing a few blocks and obeying pedestrian laws, they arrived at a rundown apartment building, its exterior run down and seen better days, the shopfront advertising a now-defunct laundromat. "This is the place we're trying to buy."

Deku blinked, "It looks-"

"Terrible? As of right now, yes, but once we acquire it, En's gonna renovate it." Shou turned, pointing down the street towards a shady looking business building. "And over there is where the loan shark is residing."

"Why doesn't En-sama just pay off this loan shark if he can duplicate cash?" Deku asked.

"Good question." Shou explained, "Really, it all boils down to the fact that we want this guy to be working for us. With his influence, we might get some underworld dealings going when we move in." Shou then produced a wand, tapping it over his hand. "And our mission's gonna help accomplish that. When we bring him back to En, we'll get him to sign over the land to us, then I'll erase his memory and make him forget the whole 'we're sorcerers' part."

Deku was astounded, "You can really do that with your magic?"

Shou nodded, "Well, it's not really my magic but the aftereffect. Think of someone's memories being a piece of paper, and my magic being an eraser. Once that paper is blank, it's easy for me to simply suggest what he knows, and fill in that blank piece. But it needs to be in a controlled environment for it to work."

"Wow... you're magic is incredible, Shou-san."

The elite user seemed embarrassed, "Thanks, I don't get much praise, y'know?"

* * *

"Alright, so here's the plan."

Night had quickly fallen, Shou and Deku in an alleyway next to the building. Their masks and outfits were back on, Deku's smiling mask looking toward the bandages in guidance.

"I'm going to turn both of us invisible." Shou then lifted his wand. "Then we sneak in, kidnap the target, and then get out. Any questions?"

Deku shook his head, "Sounds simple enough."

"Don't say that just yet." Shou raised a wand, "First, we gotta make sure you can operate under invisibility. Hold still." A puff of Smoke shot out, Deku coughing behind his mask as he raised a hand to his mouth. He then paused upon pulling his hand away, realizing it that despite feeling it, he could no longer see it.

"T-This is-!" He looked down at his body, seeing nothing. He tried walking forward, only to stumble, bumping into a trash can and knocking it over.

"Careful!" Shou exclaimed.

Deku quickly came to realize how much he took seeing his own body for granted. It felt as if he had grown incredibly light, and that nothing head down below him existed, having perfect visibility, but not being able to locate your surroundings at all. This dissociation made him almost drop Small Might, only to steel himself. He put an arm out, leaning against a wall as if to measure himself. Finally pushing himself off, he stretched his shoulders, walking backward and forward as Shou watched.

"That's better. It looks like you're already getting the hang of it."

The young sorcerer turned his head, "You can see me, Shou-san?"

"Well, not exactly see, more like sense. It is my magic affecting you at all." Shou then walked past him, "Alright, follow me."

Deku nodded, sticking closely behind Shou as best as he could. Winding around the corner, they walked in front of the office building, Shou turning around.

"Okay, what I'm about to tell you is extremely important. You're invisible, but you can be found out if you're not careful. So don't say anything, don't move anything, and especially, don't break anything." Shou lifted his head to face the building. "I've scouted this place out numerous times already. So as soon as you see that door open, enter. Once inside, both of us will head for the elevators and take it to the fifth floor. The office we're trying to find is under the name Oroka Sagishi."

"Fifth floor, Oroka Sagishi." Deku repeated before nodding. "Got it."

Shou vanished with a puff of Smoke, the door to the entrance opening. Deku took the cue to enter as well, realizing that he and Shou were now in a lobby, a security guard with a sloth-like body snoring as he sat behind a counter. Deku approached the elevators, realizing one of the buttons had been pressed. After waiting a few seconds, it dinged, the door opening. Deku entered, accidentally nudging shoulders with Shou as a button the fifth floor was pressed.

They arrived at a hallway, devoid of life save for a slightly open door at the end. Deku could already guess the location of their target, walking forward and looking at the nametag.

Oroka Sagishi

He assumed Shou had already entered, Deku following.

Only to almost bump right into the target.

Deku's breath hitched, sidestepping just in time as a man with the head of a hammerhead shark passed him, scrounging hurriedly through a container. Deku raised an eye behind his mask, "_What is he even doing? Why the rush?_" He quickly got his answer, Oroka grabbing loads of cash and stuffing it into a briefcase. Deku then peered to the side, noticing a ball of Smoke build-up. "_That must be Shou, about to use his magic-"_

The elevator dinged again, Smoke dissipating from eyeshot as Deku turned to the door. Oroka did so as well, the shark man's eyes widening.

Three figures entered the room, Quirked humans. One seemed to be composed of reflective metal, his skin shining with silver. Another had talons instead of arms, much like a dangerous bird of prey. The last was a girl, with a set of multicolored eyes.

"Ah, Sagishi-san. How convenient that yer moving when you haven't even paid us protection."

"_So that's why he was packing money-_" Deku then noticed that the girl was looking directly at him, her multicolored eyes wide. "_Wait, this girl... She can-!_"

"B-Boss!" The girl called out, "There's two other people in here-!"

Deku's arms moved on their own.

Small Might folded out to full length as he swung, going for the direct threat. He took the upper half of the girl's head with the action figure and leaving only a jawline as a spurt of blood covered his mask, revealing his invisible presence. The leader flinched, "Ha-Hana!" Deku turned his attention as the leader roared, running forward to swipe at his drenched head. Deku flinched back, eyes wide behind his mask before the clawed leader came to a complete halt, blood splashing from behind to reveal that Shou had backstabbed him with a stake, the invisible sorcerer appearing.

"_Those claws must be a mutant Quirk or transformation._" Deku thought as he grabbed Small Might with both hands and cried out, "ORE!"

He swung Small Might down onto the man's shoulder, spine snapping in half as his body crumpled like a can, a surprised dead face looking up from the ground. Deku then turned to the last target.

And almost dropped Small Might in awe.

The figure had grown to a size proportional to the entire room, silver gel clinging to the walls and ceiling as an angered face could be seen within it. "You...!" The Quirked person called out, "Yooouuuuu!"

A small burst of magic struck the man right in the face.

Within a second, the tendrils of silver slime pulled away, reforming a body as the man scratched at his throat, gasping and gaping like a fish. He knelt to the floor, silver face turning into a dangerous blue. Shou revealed himself beside Deku, undoing his invisibility magic as the two sorcerers watched, Deku turning his head to the elite sorcerer.

"What did you do to him, Shou-san?"

"Oh, well you know how my magic erases memories, right?"

Deku nodded, Shou gesturing to the now suffocated person, his eyes frozen with desperation and terror as life left them.

"I simply made him forget how to breathe. It's a pretty nifty trick."

"Wow, Shou-san! That's so cool!" Deku exclaimed, Shou nodding with pride as the two turned back to the loan shark. Oroka had cowered in the corner with his briefcase, shivering in fear.

"E-Eek! P-Please don't kill me!"

"What do we do with him?" Deku asked, Shou producing a tiny glass container. Shou then opened it, splashing its contents atop the loan shark. The sharkman screamed, skin and body literally melting into a purplish puddle of goop before exploding in a puff of Smoke, leaving behind a scaly mushroom on the floor.

Shou showed the now empty container, "This stuff is some of En's Smoke, or more specifically, the stomach acid of En's mushroom dolls. When you splash it on someone, they get turned into a mushroom until they're either healed or dispelled." Shou picked up the mushroom and the briefcase, handing the former to Deku. "But before we head back...-" Shou gestured to the bodies, "-you think you can clean this up using what Shin and Noi taught you?"

Deku nodded, producing a few folded trash bags from his pocket.

But it was still there, that fascination for all things ability related as he raised Small Might, breaking their bodies into compact forms.

* * *

Deku exited the elevator, three bags in tow behind him. He had worked hard to fit the bodies, having to use Small Might and his own magic to break their bones and stuff them inside respectively.

He spotted Shou waiting at the end of the lobby, the security guard still sleeping in his seat.

"I've cleaned the walls and packed the bodies." Deku whispered, Shou nodding.

"And I deleted the camera footage. We were never even here." The two left the building, entering the same alley they had exited before the mission as Shou patted his bandaged hands, "Not the smoothest mission, but that was kinda inevitable when those three guys showed up."

Deku nodded, "I'm still trying to figure out who those people were from before, or how that girl was able to see us..."

"Oh, those guys?" Shou shrugged, "They were probably so-called villains, people who use their Quirks to do criminal activities. As for the girl, she probably had some Quirk that gave her infrared eyes or something. Good thinking on taking her down first by the way."

"I-I just followed my instinct."

"Good instinct then. Now you've pretty much had a taste for the Quirked world, what did you think?" Shou asked.

Deku paused for a moment, thinking. "Interesting." He admitted, "When I was breaking their bodies apart, I couldn't help but think what types of Quirks they might have had." Deku then gestured to the outside of the alleyway, "And about the rest of this world as well. So many cool Quirks and abilities that could be equal to our magic!" He then shrugged, "But at the same time... our magic gives us a pretty big advantage too."

"And speaking of those advantages. Let's get rid of those bodies." Shou propped a wand up, summoning a Door. It was a plain white office Door with a few scratches on it, nothing special about it and admittedly not very noticeable, much like the sorcerer's presence.

"You can summon Doors? I thought only my Door could-"

"-travel between this world and the sorcerer world?" Shou asked before nodding. "That's true. But interestingly enough,-" Shou opened it, revealing a dystopian landscape. "-you can open a Door either between the Quirk world and Hole, or to other parts of the Quirk world. Maybe it's because they're both human realms or something."

Deku nodded, "Maybe..." He then tossed the bags through the Door, Shou closing it as it dissipated into non-existence.

"All in a night's work!" Shou exclaimed, "Let's celebrate and get some food before we bring the loan shark back to En." Shou then unwrapped his mask, a smile on his sharp teeth. "Whattya say, Deku?"

Deku paused before taking off his mask as well, a smile on his face. "Sure!"

* * *

**Bright Workplace - Dorohedoro OST**

* * *

"I gotta tell you, it's kinda weird that Hole's culture is kinda similar to Japanese culture. They even use honorifics like we do."

"Really? That's so strange... maybe it's a coincidence." Deku asked, the two sorcerers walking down the street. They were out of their blood-soaked clothes and into their more casual wear once more, their masks off and weapons away as Deku held onto the scaly mushroom. They approached a storefront, Shou coming to a stop.

"Ah, here it is. My favorite go-to restaurant when I was scouting."

Deku looked up at the sign, "Musutafu Vending?"

Shou was already walking inside as Deku followed, noticing the lack of staff and the abundance of... vending machines, a few tables were propped around but not a soul in sight. Shou turned around, showing off the place as he took his mask off and rolled away his hood. "A vending machine store! Ran entirely by vending machines and managed by-" Shou then paused, "Well, there's a guy who probably comes in here once a week to pick up the money and restock the machines, but other than that, it's all self-service from here."

"Woah..." Deku looked over all the machines, "Ramen, hamburgers, and even pizza."

"Yep. And all you gotta do is insert a few coins. Like so-" Shou inputted 300 Yen, "-select an option,-" Shou pressed a button, "-wait a minute,-" After 60 seconds, a ding was heard, a piping hot pizza slotting out. "-and voila! A hot cooked meal ready to eat." Shou took a slice and bit into it before stifling, opening his mouth as steam poured out. "Ergh! Maybe too hot right now."

Shou panted, swallowing with difficulty as Deku inspected the options.

"Here's some Yen. Try it out for yourself."

"Thank you, Shou-san." Deku turned back to the machine. "_Hmm... the ramen seems decent._" Pressing his option, the machine whirred for a minute before dinging, producing a bowl of steaming ramen. Deku picked it up, noticing Shou sitting nearby with his pizza, the scaly mushroom on a separate seat. He bought his food over, picking up a pair of chopsticks. "Mmm..." Deku looked down at the noodles, surprised at its taste. "It's good."

"Try slurping the noodles. It's actually considered good manners and brings out a bit of the flavor."

Deku quickly tried it, slurping loudly within the baren restaurant.

Shou turned to the window, "The best part about the place is that not many people come here at night." Shou held up a slice of pizza, "Perfect for a loner like me after a nightly job."

Deku nodded as he leaned away from his bowl, pausing for a few seconds. "Hey... Shou-san. I just realized something."

"Hm?" Shou looked away from his slice.

"If I'm from the Quirked world... then wouldn't it make sense if I had a Quirk?" Deku asked.

"Ooh, that's a good question." He then shrugged, "I'm not sure. But-" He then realized Deku had closed his eyes, hands balled as his face turned red with concentration. "Uh, what are you doing?"

"T-Trying-" Deku puffed, "-to use-" He huffed, steam coming out of his nostrils. "-a Quirk!"

"Jeez, looks you have constipation or something." Shou then crossed his arms, "But what I was gonna say is that you might be Quirkless."

"Quirkless?" Deku asked, abandoning his attempt at using an ability. "What does that even mean?"

"It means just as it sounds. Quirkless humans make up 20% of the global population." Shou pointed at Deku's shoe, "And it's apparently figured out if they have an extra joint in their pinkie toe."

Deku lifted his leg from the floor, about to take off his shoe.

"No need for that." Shou spoke, "I remember when we picked you up on that day, En did an X-ray before we bought you in and...- well... now that I think about it..."

The young sorcerer blinked, "S-So I'm Quirkless?"

"Yeah. In a world full of crazy superpowers... you must have been powerless." Shou concluded.

That revelation was... disconcerting to Deku for some reason. The young boy raising a hand beneath his chin in thought as he slowly nodded. "That makes a lot of sense..." He then slowly took Small Might out of his bag, looking down at the action figure. "I-I guess that's why I worshipped this All Might guy. I must have had nothing going on in my life..."

"Possibly. But now?" Shou leaned back, "You and I are currently the most special beings in this entire world. No Quirked person can use magic after all." He picked up a slice of pizza. "You're a sorcerer now, and don't you forget it."

Deku paused before smiling, slowly nodding as he reached for his chopsticks again.

Only to be hit with a sudden urge to go to the bathroom.

He clutched his stomach, groaning slightly as Shou took notice. "Huh? What's wrong, Deku?"

"Erm..." The sorcerer looked up, "Is there a bathroom here?"

"Not in this restaurant." Shou then gestured to the outside, "But if you go down the block, there's a small park with a public restroom." Shou then took a few tissues off the table. "Oh, and take some of these just in case."

"Okaythanksberightback." Deku responded in a rush, pocketing the tissues and sitting up as he ran outside. He fast-walked down the sidewalk, the streets completely devoid of life due to the lateness of the night. He spotted a few trees ahead, a small gated field of grass with a sidewalk cutting through the middle of it, "_That must be the park._"He then saw a small building, light streaming from both openings. "_And that must be the bathroom._" He walked forward, intent on entering the men's side.

And then a Quirked human exited, bumping right into him. It was giant man with a mutant Quirk, a set of pylons sticking out his shoulders. "Hey! Watch it scrawny."

"S-Sorry." Deku apologized, the human leaving as he scrunched his eyes, "_Scrawny?_" An odd bit of insecurity took hold, Deku bringing his arm up and flexing, revealing the surprising amount of muscles within them. "_I'm not scrawny..._"

He frowned at the human's back, an uncharacteristic thought coming to mind.

"_And you're an asshole._"

However, he kept the musings to himself. He and Shou were undercover after all, and it was abundantly clear that Deku and him were to stay out of trouble when the masks were off.

* * *

He came out a few minutes later, tissues still in his pocket.

"_I didn't need to use them. The toilet paper was already stocked full._"

Deku began his walk back to the restaurant, leaving the park and walking down the sidewalk.

But not before hearing a particularly loud slurp.

He raised his head, realizing that the source of the noise came from a nearby alleyway. "_What the-_"

Deku turned to the restaurant at the end of the street before turning back to the alleyway, noticing stirs of movement at the end of it. Another slurp was heard, Deku's curiosity now getting the better of him. He quietly stepped forward, eyes adjusting to the dark as he spotted two figures, the first shrouded in the shadow of a dumpster and the second...

"_Isn't that the pylon guy-_" He then realized a lifeless look in the man's eyes, giant splotches of red liquid on the left side of his face. "_Oh, he's dead._" He then turned to the other figure. Although it was too dark to see them, Deku could already imagine that they were sucking on the man's neck, slurping heard as the man's body flinched every so often from the vigorous feasting. Deku looked up in thought. "_... Is this a Japanese thing? I'll have to ask_ _Shou later._" He then looked back down, realizing that the figure was gone. "Hm?"

They had leaped over the dumpster, lunging with a knife as Deku's eyes widened. He reacted, throwing a hand in front of his chest as his left palm was stabbed, blood spurting onto his clothes from the wound. It stung painfully, but Deku knew how to properly respond. He clawed his stabbed hand, grabbing the offender's knife holding fist and twisting.

"Kya...!"

A rather... feminine yelp was heard, knife loosened as Deku wrenched the weapon out of their grasp with his bloodied hand. "_Noi taught me that one._" Deku thought with a hint of pride, throwing the bloodied knife to his right like how he would with Small Might and turning the tables, stabbing forward into the light of a streetlamp. They dodged gracefully to the side, Deku turning to face them.

Only to realize that it was a girl.

Deku froze up, the girl looking back at him, her yellow cat-like eyes half-closed on her red face, canines sharp which almost gave her a feline-like visage. Her hair was a dirty blonde, tied up with two messy buns. She wore a cardigan over a petite uniform, her chin and collar stained with a bit of blood, hinting at her previous activity. Lastly were her shoes, settled with knee-length socks.

Her overall look was... cute. Something which gave Deku a lot of pause.

"... Uh..." Deku simply said, staring at her as his combat stance loosened. Awkwardly, no words were exchanged for a few seconds, Deku's mind in a state of turmoil. "_C'mon, say something!_" He argued with itself, "_What do I even say?!_" An answer came, "_Anything!_"

Luckily, she spoke up, "Ha... You're bleeding." Her voice sounded breathless, her blush intensifying.

And to that...

Deku had one thing to say.

"Yes, you stabbed me."

Where was a Devil to smite him down when he needed it? This was too embarrassing! The girl tilted her head, yellow eyes blinking like that of a curious cat. "... You're not screaming."

Deku finally snapped out of it, "U-Um..." He then looked down at his stabbed hand, "W-Well, to be honest, this is kind of nothing."

She blinked again at that.

"I-I mean, it hurts but I'm not gonna scream about it, there are people sleeping and I should probably be considerate. But then again, maybe the international time to sleep is different here and-" Deku then blinked, standing up to full height as he scratched the back of his head with his bloodied hand, a small blush on his face. "Ah, sorry. I tend to mutter when I get carried away." He then held out her knife, "H-Here, you can have this back as long as you don't try and stab me with it... again."

The girl raised an eye, gingerly taking it as she looked down at it.

"A-Anyways, sorry for interrupting your meal." Deku gestured to the body, "A friend told me that slurping loudly on noodles is good manners." Deku then scrunched his face, "I guess the same goes for Human blood as well..."

She was now staring at him, as if her mind was having trouble comprehending.

"Oh and-" He reached into his pocket, producing tissue and handing it to her. "-y-you might wanna wipe your chin. Soak the tissue with soapy water if the blood doesn't come off right away." Shin had taught him that.

Accepting it as if in trance, the girl looked down at the tissue before looking back up.

A few seconds passed before Deku spoke up again. "I-I should probably get going, before my ramen gets-"

"What's your name?" The girl asked.

"M-My name?" He paused for a moment, "... It's Deku."

"Deku..." She repeated, a smile growing on her face as if a thought had come to mind.

And then she leaped, disappearing into the darkness as Deku flicked his head up in surprise. She was quick and agile, which made Deku wonder if the blood-sucking and agility was some part of her Quirk. A shame that he couldn't ask now as he awkwardly called out to the darkness. "Uh... see you?" After being met with no response, he slowly turned around, leaving the alleyway.

Unbeknownst to him, Toga Himiko had easily scaled the building, watching him from the rooftop as she held the tissue he had given her tightly, the paper now holding sentimental value to her.

A reminder of the only person she had ever met who accepted her normality.

The thought made her lovesick, her dark urges growing as she showed off her sharp canines. Lifting the tissue to her chin, she cleaned away the blood, a blush on her face.

"Just who are you, De-kun?"

* * *

"Wait, so she killed a Quirked human and then stabbed you in the hand?" Shou asked, carrying the briefcase as both sorcerers walking down the street, the sun rising in gentle dawn.

Deku nodded in confirmation, showing off his self bandaged hand. "Yeah. T-That's basically how it went. Is that a custom here or-...?"

"Nope. Murder is incredibly illegal in this world. I think you encountered a serial killer."

"Oh." He looked down, murmuring under his breath. "But she was really cute..."

"Huh? Did you say something?" Shou asked, Deku flinching as they approached the alleyway.

"N-Nothing!"

Deku's Door slowly appeared in the presence of the two sorcerers, allowing passage as Shou opened it. The two magic-users walked through, now back in En's mansion. Shou stretched his shoulders, "Ah, it's good to be back." He then turned to Deku, the boy refitting his mask. "I'll go get En and give him the briefcase, you take the mushroom to the torture room and strap it to a chair."

He nodded, bringing the scaly mushroom through a maze of corridors before finally reaching a metal door. Deku unlatched it, walking into the dimly lit room and avoiding the damp puddles. He reached the chair, Small Might climbing out of his bag and tugging on the chair strap, Deku grabbing it. After successfully tying the mushroom down, En arrived with a masked Shou in tow, the boss holding Kikurage in his arms.

"En-sama, the mushroom is secured." Deku said with a slight bow, Small Might saluting.

"Good." En simply responded before narrowing his eyes. As if on cue, the fungus began to enlarge before dispelling in a puff of Smoke, Oroka reappearing and tied to the chair.

"Guh-?" Oroka then flinched, looking around. "Wha- W-Where am I?! How did I-" He then noticed En, the boss looking down at the man.

"Oroka Sagishi. Age 54. Divorced. Real estate agent." En narrowed his gaze, "But we both know that last detail is not exactly true. In reality, you're a loan shark who steals money and land from his customers."

"That's-" En narrowed his gaze, his intimidating presence and skeletal half-mask staring the man down, Shou and Deku standing beside him with their equally bizarre masks as Small Might sat on the latter's shoulder. The loan shark gulped, keeping his mouth shut.

"But now I'm giving you a chance." The boss produced a mushroom in his hand before opening his mask, puffing Smoke on the fungus. It became a pen and a fine sheet of paper, a small line for a signature at the bottom. He handed it down to the loan shark, allowing the man to read the terms. "Sign your land and your business over to me. I get ownership, and more importantly, you get protection... with an added fee of course."

"B-But-" Oroka looked up, "-I can't do that! T-The other villain groups that I provide for... They'll kill me!"

En seemed annoyed, "Clearly you don't understand..." En's eyes grew downright murderous. "That I'll do something far worse." He then placed a hand on his cheek, "Or would but I'm too lazy." He then turned, "Deku. Grab something from the wall and start torturing. We can always have Noi heal him."

"... Got it." Deku simply responded, looking to the wall to see an assortment of torture devices and weapons. His eyes were narrowed... but in actuality...

Deku was panicking.

"_What do I pick!? I wish En would stop putting me on the spot like this!_" He then noticed Small Might pointing at a sharp morning star, Deku smiling. "_Ooh, that seems dangerous. Thanks __Small Might. You always know what to choose in these situations._" Taking the weapon off the wall, he turned around to a horrified Oroka, hefting the weapon over his shoulder. "I'll start with the feet first, En-sama."

En nodded, Deku readying the weapon.

And then Oroka broke, breaking out into tears before Deku could swing down.

"Okay! Okay! I-I'll sign it!" The loan shark wrote his signature on the piece of paper, shark-like head looking up with a desperate smile. "S-See? Signed-!"

Shou took out his wand and blasted him in the face, a blank look growing on his face. "He'll forget the part about our Smoke and masks, but he'll remember that he definitely signed his land away and that he now works for us."

"As it should be. Good job you two." En then turned to his two underlings, "Send Oroka back to his office. The rest of the family is ready to move. If there's anything you both need to pack, you should get started."

Deku and Shou nodded.

* * *

The time had finally arrived as the En family stood before Deku's Door.

"Is everyone ready?" En asked, his mask off and wearing a formal suit, two red mushroom pins on both collars. Everyone else nodded, their masks off. Shin and Fujita looked practically unchanged albeit the former ditching the chain that hung off from his pocket. Noi stood next to Ebisu with a tidy business suit, with the latter having changed her pants into a skirt with knee-length socks, her decorative scythes gone. Lastly was Chota and Turkey, both wearing a tank top with jogger pants and a simple t-shirt with short pants respectively.

"No." Ebisu answered in a spiteful tone, stretching her skirt. "This sucks! Miss my old stuff!"

"Too bad." En simply said, Shou and Deku joining the group with their blend in attire.

Noi turned her head, "They actually wear this stuff, Shou? Nothing threatening or murderous?"

"Yep. If we're gonna live in the Quirked world, we're gonna have to start dressing like them." Shou then gestured to everyone, "Besides, you all look fine. Nobody will be raising an eye at any of us."

"Speaking of raising eyes, what about the Devils? Aren't they coming as well?" Shin asked En.

En paused for a few moments. "... They've already gone through." He said ominously before turning around, "And now it's our turn." He then coughed, preparing his throat. "I had a speech prepared but I can't remember it."

"Aww, I'm sure it would've been great, En!" Chota praised.

"On second thought, nevermind." He grabbed the knob of Deku's Door, turning to the rest of the family. "Let's go everyone... to the Quirked world!"

* * *

Something strange happened that day above Musutafu.

If one were to peer closely, one would have noticed it, right below the level of the clouds. However, it gave off no signature or electronic indication of its existence, only that it could be seen.

A black house.

The Devils within rejoiced as a party was held, a celebration of a new playing field. It would have been felt all around had the world been populated by sorcerers...

But there was one exception...

Inside a particular bar within the Kamino ward of Yokohama sat a particular individual. He sat in a booth, away from the bar operated by a man comprised of purple mist and a lone hand covered figure. A colorful virgin cocktail was atop the table, with a small umbrella on the rim of the cup. Stirring the drink, he looked up, a flat cap on his head but an odd leather mask with metal eye covers and a chainmail skirt covering his mouth and chin. Slowly, he bought a gloved hand down to his barbour jacket and adjusted it, a smile growing beneath his mask.

"So it begins."

He then slipped the straw beneath his mask and took a loud obnoxious sip.

* * *

**What we learned from the fourth chapter:**

**1\. Tatooin station has a gyoza stand.**

**2\. Deku and Shou make pretty good partners.**

**3\. Murder is illegal in the Quirked world.**

**And what you will learn from the fifth chapter... That's still a mystery.**

**That is... Welcome to Chaos!**

* * *

**MISSION COMPLETE**

**I was gonna write an Extra Evil at the end of this chapter, but by this point, I just wanna post it and start working on the next story. Next chapter I'll try to get something done at the end.**

**As for our mystery sorcerer at the end, if you wanna get an idea of what his mask looks like, look up WW1 splatter mask and you will not be disappointed. Honestly one of the coolest designs I've ever seen for a mask.**

**Have a good one!**


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